55"  8 
C8U5 


United  States.  Department  of 

agriculture. 

Report  on  the  use  of  maize 
(Indian  corn)  in  Europe. 


U.S. DEPARTMENT  OF  AGRICULTURE. 


REPORT. 


AND  ON  THE 


POSSIBILITIES  OF  ITS  EXTENSION. 


1.  THE  INTRODUCTION  OF  MAIZE  INTO  EUROPE. 

By  CHARLES  J.  MURPHY,  Special  Agent. 

2.  THE  FOOD  VALUE  OF  MAIZE. 

By  DR.  H.  W.  WILEY,  Chief  Chemist. 

3.  THE  INDIAN  CORN  INDUSTRY  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

By  B.  W.  SNOW,  Assistant  Statistician. 


PUBLISHED  BY  AUTHORITY  OP 
THE    SECRETARY    OF    AGRICULTURE. 


WASHINGTON : 

GOVERNMENT  PRINTING  OFFICE. 
1891. 


U.S.  DEPARTMENT  OF  AGRICULTURE. 


REPORT 


ON   THE 


OH  MAIZE  (INDIAN  CORN)  IN  EUROPE 


AND  ON  THE 


POSSIBILITIES  OF  ITS  EXTENSION, 


1.  THE  INTRODUCTION  OF  MAIZE  INTO  EUROPE. 

By  CHARLES  J.  MURPHY,  Special  Agent. 

2.  THE  FOOD  VALUE  OF  MAIZE. 

By  DR.  II.  W.  WILEY,  Chief  Chemist. 

3.  THE  INDIAN  CORN  INDUSTRY  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

By  B.  W.  SNOW,  Assistant  Statistician. 


PUBLISHED  BY  AUTHORITY  OF 
THE    SECRETARY     OF     AGRICULTURE. 


WASHINGTON: 

GOVERNMENT   PRINTING  OFFICE. 
1891. 


PREFATORY  NOTE. 


In  publishing  for  general  information  the  following  report  of  Special 
Agent  C.  J.  Murphy,  to  whom  I  intrusted  the  duty  of  introducing 
American  corn  to  the  attention  of  the  people  of  Europe  as  a  human 
food,  I  have  thought  well,  for  the  information  of  those  interested,  to 
supplement  it  with  an  article  prepared  by  Dr.  H.  W.  Wiley,  Chief 
Chemist  of  this  Department,  on  the  food  value  and  chemical  composi- 
tion of  corn.  I  have  also  caused  to  be  prepared  in  the  Statistical  Divi- 
sion an  article  upon  the  extension  of  foreign  trade  in  Indian  corn,  6f  a 
general  character,  for  which  the  records  of  that  division  afford  special 
facilities,  to  which  are  appended  various  statistical  tables  which  will 
enable  the  reader  to  form  a  just  estimate  of  the  extent  and  availability 
g  of  our  resources  in  the  production  of  this  important  cereal. 

I  desire  to  call  special  attention  to  two  or  three  points  in  the  matter 

which  follows.     In  the  first  place,  I  wish  to  emphasize  the  necessity, 

indicated  by  Special  Agent  Murphy,  for  vigorously  following  up  the 

I    efforts  of  this  Department  by  the  individual  or  combined  efforts  of 

-  parties  interested  in  the  trade  in  this  product. 

5  The  thought  is  also  suggested  by  the  chapter  on  "The  Food  Value  of 
Maize"  that  this  great  American  cereal  is  specially  adapted,  from  its 
constituents,  for  use  as  a  part  of  the  dietary  of  the  inhabitants  of  north- 
ern climates,  who  are  unable  to  produce  it  on  their  own  soil.  Hence,  if 
properly  introduced  and  adopted  by  these  people,  we  may  reasonably 
look  to  them  for  a  permanent  market  for  a  portion  of  our  corn  crop. 

Thirdly,  in  his  observations  on  the  extension  of  the  foreign  use  of 
corn,  the  Statistician  presents  some  features  of  special  interest  with 
reference  to  the  availability  of  Indian  com  as  a  part  of  the  army 
rations — a  matter  of  extraordinary  importance  for  countries  whose 
conditions  necessitate  the  maintenance  of  a  large  standing  army.  Pecu- 
liar interest  attaches  to  these  considerations  from  the  fact  that  our 
special  agent  in  Europe  has  already  succeeded  in  interesting  responsible 
officers  of  a  foreign  government  in  the  matter  from  this  point  of  view. 

Lastly,  I  desire  to  point  out  to  those  countries  who  are  in  a  greater 
or  less  degree  dependent  upon  foreign  imports  for  a  portion  of  their 
food  supply  the  desirability  of  acquainting  their  people  with  the  uses 
of  so  nutritious  and  economical  a  substitute  for  other  cereal  foods  as 


^59703 


Indian  corn,  particularly  in  view  of  the  fact  that  the  probability  of 
political  complications  interfering  with  their  trade  with  this  country  is 
especially  remote.  It  would  seem  probable  that  the  foresight  of  the 
German  Government  has  already  recognized  this  fact,  and  the  cordial 
cooperation  which  our  special  agent  is  now  receiving  from  Government 
circles  in  that  country  is  no  doubt  due  to  the  conclusion  that,  in  the 
matter  of  food  supply,  it  behooves  a  country  not  to  limit  its  dependence 
to  any  other  single  source  of  foreign  supply,  especially  to  one  liable  to 
be  checked  at  a  critical  moment  as  the  result  of  political  entanglements 
which  can  not  be  foreseen. 

The  importance  of  our  corn  crop  needs  not  to  be  emphasized.  The 
tables  attached  to  this  report  present  that  in  a  stronger  form  than  any 
words  could  do ;  but  in  the  consideration  of  its  enormous  extent  and 
the  vast  possibilities  of  its  future  development  it  is  worth  while  to  note 
the  value  of  a  foreign  demand  not  dependent  entirely  upon  reduction 
of  price  in  our  own  country,  but  which  might  be  developed,  as  I  am 
confident  it  can  be,  to  such  an  extent  as  to  have  a  very  sensible  effect 
in  maintaining  the  price  of  this  cereal  at  a  figure  which  would  insure 
reasonable  profit  to  the  producer.  Could  we  secure  an  advance  of  even 
5  cents  a  bushel  on  an  average  for  corn  during  the  ensuing  decade, 
which  might  well  be  done  and  still  enable  us  to  supply  the  foreign  de- 
mand at  a  price  far  below  that  of  other  cereal  foods  of  equal  value,  the 
result  would  be  to  add  $1,000,000,000  to  the  value  of  this  crop  during 
that  period. 

J.  M.  BUSK, 

Secretary. 


REPORT  ON  THE  INTRODUCTION  OF  MAIZE  INTO  EUROPE. 


Hon.  J.  M.  BUSK, 

Secretary  of  Agriculture: 

SIR:  The  exports  of  our  maize  or  Indian  corn  for  the  past  ten  years 
may  be  said  to  have  averaged  about  4  per  cent  of  the  entire  crop.  The 
United  Kingdom,  France,  Germany,  Belgium,  Holland,  and  Denmark 
rank  as  our  best  customers  for  the  grain,  while  Spain  and  Norway  and 
Sweden  take  a  small  quantity.  Except  an  insignificant  amount,  ex- 
ported corn  is  chiefly  used  as  food  for  animals,  distillery  purposes,  and 
starch-making.  The  only  form  of  corn  as  human  food  at  all  known 
abroad  is  corn  starch,  which  is  sold  principally  in  the  British  Isles 
under  the  name  of  corn  flour.  It  is  also  put  on  the  market  under 
various  other  names,  sometimes  in  order  that  the  public  may  not  know 
that  it  is  a  product  of  Indian  corn  or  maize,  as  prejudice  is  strong 
against  the  grain  as  human  food.  The  manufacturers  thereby  restrict 
the  demand,  and  the  public  are  kept  in  ignorance  of  what  the  article 
really  is. 

A  better  knowledge  of  maize  as  human  food,  in  addition  to  bringing 
into  use  its  other  forms,  will  increase  the  demand  for  all  its  products 
which  shall  call  forth  a  supply  that  will  cause  the  price  in  Europe  to  fall 
from  its  present  artificial  high  point.  Corn  in  Europe  is  the  generic 
name  for  grain  of  whatever  kind.  Corn  flour,  therefore,  does  not  con- 
vey the  same  meaning  as  maize  flour  or  corn  starch,  the  latter  of  which 
it  really  is.  It  is  true,  however,  that  some  corn  starch  is  sold  as  maize 
flour,  but  there  is  no  reason  to  believe  that  the  public  are  not  aware 
that  it  is  a  simple  product  of  the  corn  that  is  used  for  feeding  cattle. 
Some  American  firms  do  a  brisk  trade  in  this  commodity,  but  most  that 
is  sold  abroad  is  manufactured  in  Paisley,  Scotland.  The  fact  that 
many  Europeans  have  already  acquired  (some  of  them  unconsciously) 
a  taste  for  one  product  of  our  corn  will  act  as  a  powerful  lever  in  further- 
ing the  eflbrt  to  practically  demonstrate  to  the  mass  of  the  people  the 
value  of  the  entire  grain,  as  mush  (porridge),  bread,  etc.,  which  are 
cheaper  and  more  nutritious,  entering  thus  into  their  daily  life,  being 
a  means  of  providing  economical  dishes,  corn  starch  figuring  now  as  a 
delicacy  or  dessert  which  is  high  in  price  and  beyond  the  means  of  the 
poor.  Such  preparations  of  corn  as  hominy,  cereal ine,  samp,  maizena, 
canned  corn,  etc.,  need  only  to  be  known  to  be  appreciated,  especially 
in  the  United  Kingdom,  where  variety  in  food,  particularly  that  wliich 
is  cheap,  does  not  appear  on  the  table  of  either  artisan  or  laborer. 

5 


A  somewhat  inferior  grade  of  corn  is  grown  in  Italy,  and  its  home 
consumption  is  considerable.  Spain,  central  and  southern  France,  pro- 
duce a  meager  quantity,  but  it  is  less  palatable  as  human  food  than  the 
American,  and  the  use  of  it  in  that  way  is  insignificant.  From  south- 
eastern Europe  comes  Danubian  corn,  a  small,  round  grain  variety, 
which  is  preferred  to  the  American  as  chicken  feed,  owing  to  the  si/e 
of  the  grain.  The  very  limited  corn  areas  of  Europe  grow  a  grain  which 
can  not  compare  with  ours  either  as  to  quality  or  price;  hence  the 
European  production  need  not  be  taken  into  account  in  discussing  the 
question  of  creating  a  European  market. 

It  has  long  been  a  matter  of  surprise  that  Indian  corn  is  so  little 
known  in  Europe  as  an  article  of  human  diet.  The  merits  of  our  flour, 
beef,  pork,  and  other  food  products  are  everywhere  recognized  abroad 
and  enter  largely  into  the  alimentary  supplies  of  the  people  of  other 
nations,  but  corn,  the  leading  grain  of  the  New  World,  which  is  eaten 
and  enjoyed  by  the  descendants  of  the  various  European  races  settled 
on  its  shores,  is  not  yet  adopted  as  a  breadstuff  in  the  Old  World,  though 
it  is  cheap,  nutritious,  and  palatable,  and  scientific  and  medical  au- 
thority and  the  experience  of  millions  of  mankind  pronounce  it  to  be 
one  of  the  best  foods  supplied  by  bounteous  nature.  There  are  multi- 
tudes of  half-nourished  toilers  in  Europe  who  would  welcome  our  golden 
grain,  that  would  bring  to  them  better  living  than  their  scanty  earnings 
now  afford,  were  they  but  taught  its  merits.  To  supply  that  want 
would  be  to  render  them  a  philanthropic  service  worthy  of  our  best  en- 
deavors, and  the  increased  export  of  the  cereal  would  be  a  sure, practical, 
and  speedy  benefit  to  the  farming  interests  of  our  country.  No  one 
can  deny  that  to  put  our  cereal  in  its  proper  place  as  a  breadstuff  would 
be  to  confer  a  blessing  on  mankind  and  contribute  much  to  the  happi- 
ness and  prosperity  of  humanity,  besides  conferring  on  ourselves  a  di- 
rect material  benefit.  Comfort,  health,  and  effective  effort  being  so 
much  dependent  on  what  we  eat,  it  behooves  nations  as  well  as  indi- 
viduals to  seek  the  best  and  cheapest  food.  The  cry  of  Europe  is 
"cheap  bread;"  it  is  a  bitter,  agonizing  cry,  and  we  may  best  respond 
to  it  by  instructing  the  toiling  masses  of  the  Old  World  in  the  excellence 
and  cheapness  of  maize  and  the  proper  methods  of  preparing  it. 

Stated  in  a  few  words,  the  way  to  increase  the  export  of  it  as  human 
food,  and  that  which  I  have  as  far  as  possible  adopted,  is  to  practically 
illustrate  abroad  its  value  by  ocular  demonstrations,  cooking  it  in  pres- 
ence of  the  public,  serving  it  free  or  at  nominal  prices,  distributing 
literature  giving  full  description  of  the  grain,  price  as  compared  with 
wheat,  oatmeal,  potatoes,  etc.,  and  enlisting  public  interest  through 
representative  bodies  and  personages  and  the  general  and  agricultural 
press.  This  effort,  extensively  put  forth  and  persisted  in,  can  not  fail 
to  have  beneficial  results.  It  would  assis.t  our  farmers  in  an  entirely 
practical  manner,  with  benefits  certain  and  positive,  raising  the  price 
of  every  bushel  of  corn  gathered  by  the  American  husbandman. 


INITIAL   STEPS  TO   INTRODUCE   CORN    INTO   EUROPE. 

It  having  been  iny  privilege  to  make  a  practical  display  of  corn  for 
edible  purposes  at  the  Edinburgh  International  Exhibition,  and  also 
at  the  Glasgow  Industrial  Exhibition,  I  deem  it  fitting  to  refer  here  to 
the  facts  and  circumstances  which  led  to  these  initial  steps  for  the  in- 
troduction of  Indian  corn  into  Europe  as  human  food. 

In  1878  Congress  was  asked  to  make  an  appropriation  for  a  special 
exhibit  in  Europe  of  corn  and  its  uses  as  human  food,  but  no  action  was 
taken.  Between  that  date  and  the  Paris  Exposition  in  1889,  occasional 
efforts  toward  the  same  end  were  made,  but  nothing  systematic  was 
done  and  no  valuable  results  were  achieved.  While  preparations  for 
the  Universal  Exposition  were  under  way,  the  officials  were  asked  to  set 
apart  a  space  for  a  maize  exhibit.  This  was  agreed  to,  but  it  was  de- 
cided that  none  of  the  money  appropriated  for  the  American  exhibit 
could  be  used  for  preparing  such  an  exhibit  of  this  cereal,  and  as  private 
enterprise  could  hardly  be  expected  to  sustain  a  fitting  exhibition  of 
our  national  grain,  the  magnificent  opportunity  to  impress  upon  the 
25,000,000  intelligent  visitors  its  advantages  from  a  commercial  and  from 
a  dietary  point  of  view,  as  a  human  food,  was  lost. 

Impressed  with  the  magnitude  of  the  undertaking  and  the  great 
good  that  was  to  be  derived  from  a  comprehensive  exhibit  of  that 
nature,  I  sought  to  enlist  financial  aid  through  other  sources.  Under 
the  auspices  of  the  New  York  Produce  Exchange  I  made  a  tour  of  the 
corn  States,  laying  the  plan  before  the  legislatures,  grain  exchanges, 
etc.  A  great  deal  of  enthusiasm  in  favor  of  the  plan  was  manifested 
in  the  agricultural  and  general  press  and  among  the  public,  but  con- 
tributions failed,  however,  as  the  opinion  prevailed  that  the  General 
Government  should  financially  support  a  project  that  could  well  be 
expected  to  aid  largely  the  greatest 'branch  of  agricultural  industry  in 
the  United  States.  The  propaganda,  however,  called  attention  to  the 
fact  that  an  immense  foreign  demand  might  be  created  for  our  corn  if 
proper  effort  to  that  end  is  made,  involving  but  slight  expense  and 
sure  to  result  in  speedy  and  certain  good. 

Despite  monetary  discouragement  I  came  to  Paris  and,  in  the  capacity 
of  a  private  individual,  labored  for  corn,  lecturing  before  the  National 
Agricultural  Society  of  France,  and  endeavoring  to  extend  the  use  of 
the  grain  and  overcome  the  prejudice  against  it.  Experience  has 
proved  that  energetic  action  intelligently  persevered  in  on  extensive 
lines  would  result  in  an  enormous  increase  in  its  consumption  for  human 
food.  At  the  close  of  the  exhibition  I  visited  Amsterdam  and  Rotter- 
dam, in  Holland;  Antwerp,  Bruges,  and  Brussels,  in  Belgium;  Liver- 
pool and  London,  working  while  in  those  cities,  as  far  as  opportunity 
offered,  to  spread  accurate  knowledge  as  to  the  value  of  corn.  At  the 
great  International  Exhibition,  Edinburgh,  Scotland,  I  determined  to 
erect  a  corn  palace  on  my  own  personal  account  and  completely  develop 


8 

the  general  plan  upon  which  I  had  been  working.  I  secured  a  promi- 
nent space  in  the  gardens  for  the  buildings,  and  there  during  six  months, 
before  nearly  three  million  visitors,  demonstrated  in  a  convincing  man- 
ner the  worth  of  corn  as  human  food,  serving  it  to  the  public  at  nominal 
prices,  distributing  literature  containing  cooking  recipes  and  other 
necessary  matter,  giving  free  meals  to  inmates  of  charitable  institutions 
with  a  view  to  the  introduction  of  corn  dishes  therein,  and  interesting 
the  people  generally. 

The  American  consul  at  Edinburgh  reported  as  follows  on  the  exhibit : 

The  American  corn  exhibit  is  a  new  move  in  the  right  direction  in  Europe,  by 
Col.  Charles  J.  Murphy,  who  has  recently  been  appointed  statistical  agent  for  Europe 
in  connection  with  Indian  corn  by  Secretary  Rusk,  of  the  United  States  Agricultural 
Department.  He  has  for  years  entertained  the  idea  that  the  abundant  corn  fields  of 
the  great  West  should  supply  a  cheap  and  nutritive  food  to  the  laboring  classes  of 
Europe.  He  has  labored  for  three  years  in  that  direction,  and  the  little  handbook 
which  he  issued  and  distributed  in  Great  Britain  during  the  last  few  months  is 
awakening  the  attention  of  the  people  at  large  to  the  fact  that  the  stored-up  sunlight 
in  the  autumn  shocks  of  Kansas,  Nebraska,  and  Missouri  can  be  brought  even  cheaper 
than  oatmeal,  etc.,  to  the  very  table  of  the  workingman  in  Great  Britain,  France,  Ger- 
many, Norway,  and  Sweden.  His  handbook  presents  forcibly  and  clearly  the  history, 
production,  medicinal  virtue,  and  the  cheapness  of  Indian  corn  as  human  food,  with 
one  hundred  and  thirty  formulas  for  preparing  and  cooking  the  same.  The  Scotch 
people  are  said  to  move  cautiously  and  slowly,  but  Col.  Mui'phy  possesses  the 
enthusiasm  which  is  destined  to  win.  He  goes  from  Edinburgh  to  the  East  End 
Industrial  Exposition  in  Glasgow,  which  opens  early  in  December,  and  he  is  entitled 
to  the  best  wishes  and  support  of  every  farmer  in  the  United  States. 

The  exhibit  was  centrally  located  near  machinery  hall,  and  was  of 
great  interest  to  visitors.  The  tasteful  building  was  75  feet  in  length 
and  40  in  width,  wrhere  literature  on  the  subject  was  issued  and 
where  food  prepared  from  the  maize  in  various  forms  could  be  had  at  a 
nominal  price.  Thousands  of  children  from  different  charitable  organ 
izations  were  given  free  meals,  and  this  has  led  to  its  use  already  in 
several  institutions.  One  of  the  daily  newspapers  has  well  said : 

No  doubt  many,  after  seeing  and  tasting  the  numerous  excellent  qualities  of  that 
form  of  food,  will  wonder  why  they  have  so  long  been  kept  in  ignorance  of  them. 
The  object  of  the  exhibit,  which  has  been  brought  together  through  the  enterprise 
of  Col.  Murphy,  is  to  stimulate  throughout  Europe  the  use  of  maize  as  an  article  of 
human  food.  Hitherto  it  has  only  been  used  in  Britain  for  feeding  cattle  and  for 
distilling  purposes,  but  before  long  it  is  sure  to  take  its  place  in  the  human  dietary. 
The  corn  seems  to  be  as  nourishing  as  wheat  or  oatmeal,  and  has  many  other  advan- 
tages. It  is,  for  one  thing,  a  good  deal  cheaper,  being  some  years  only  one-third  the 
price  of  wheat  and  about  one-half  the  price  of  oatmeal,  while  it  can  be  sold  in  this 
country,  after  importation,  at  a  remarkably  low  price.  If  people  are  once  acquainted 
with  the  really  wholesome  and  nutritious  forms  of  food  which  can  be  made  from 
corn  it  is  thought  that  it  will  become  so  popular  that  the  exportation  from  America 
will  be  large  enough  to  prevent  any  waste  whatever.  Then  there  is  so  much  more 
land  that  can  be  put  under  Indian  corn,  and  the  crop  is  so  steadily  increasing  in 
quantity  and  quality  that  there  is  little  fear  of  the  demand  exceeding  the  supply. 
There  are  possibly  many  difficulties  in  the  way  of  popularizing  it;  but,  with 
energy  and  enterprise,  which,  it  may  be  taken  for  granted,  would  not  be  lacking, 
hacked  by  the  undoubted  excellence  of  the  food  itself,  these  difficulties  ought  easily 


to  be  surmounted  and  the  use  of  maize  as  a  part  of  human  diet  become  universal. 
The  Indian  corn  bread  is  pleasant  to  the  taste,  and  it  is  lighter  than  oatmeal.  Corn 
is  one  of  the  staple  articles  of  food  in  America,  and  the  forms  in  which  it  can  be 
prepared  for  the  table  are  innumerable.  Col.  Murphy  was  awarded  a  silver  medal 
for  his  admirable  exhibition  of  America's  great  product. 

The  leading  paper  of  Scotland  thus  refers  to  it: 

The  American  corn  exhibit  of  Mr.  C.  J.  Murphy,  New  York,  which  occupies  a  posi- 
tion in  the  grounds  near  the  machinery  hall,  is  a  source  of  much  interest  to  visitors. 
It  is  designed  to  ilhistrate  in  a  practical  manner  the  nutritive  qualities  of  maize  as 
an  article  of  human  food  and  to  bring  home  to  the  people  of  this  country  the  fact 
that  this  important  cereal  provides  a  cheap,  wholesome,  and  palatable  diet,  which 
brings  breadstuff's  within  the  reach  of  the  poorest.  Indian  corn  is  the  greatest  of  all 
the  cereal  crops  of  America.  It  is  the  staple  product  of  seven  of  the  largest  States — 
Illinois,  Iowa,  Indiana.,  Ohio,  Missouri,  Kansas,  and  Nebraska — which  form  the  great 
corn  belt  of  the  United  States.  There  is  no  limit  to  the  supply,  the  produce  of  the* 
virgin  soil  of  America  being  far  in  excess  of  the  demand,  so  much  so  that  the  crop, 
as  a  rule,  only  realizes  40  cents  per  bushel,  while  the  exports  form  a  very  small  pro- 
portion of  the  whole — 3  or  4  per  cent.  On  this  side  of  the  Atlantic  the  grain  is  used 
for  farm  stock  and  for  distilling  purposes.  In  America  Indian  meal  is  a  familiar 
article  of  diet,  and  it  is  presented  in  various  nutritious  and  palatable  forms,  but  for 
human  food  it  is  practically  unknown  in  this  country.  It  is  said  that  even  during 
the  Irish  famine  of  1848  the  starving  peasants  could  not  be  induced  to  eat  the  meal 
that  was  sent  from  America,  and  there  is  reason  to  believe  that  the  same  prejudice 
still  exists  in  favor  of  breadstuff's  made  from  wheat,  rye,  or  oats.  Much,  however, 
depends  on  the  manner  in  which  the  food  is  prepared  for  edible  purposes,  and  Mr. 
Murphy's  exhibit  does  a  great  deal  to  dispel  prejudice.  He  has  fitted  up  a  pavilion 
with  American  stoves,  and  there,  in  presence  of  the  visitors,  the  corn  meal  is  made 
iuto  various  kinds  of  food  and,  as  the  proof  of  the  pudding  is  in  the  eating,  the 
public  are  able  to  satisfy  themselves  as  to  the  value  and  importance  of  maize  as  a 
healthy  substitute  for  more  costly  food. 

The  results  of  the  crusade  at  Edinburgh  may  be  summed  up  as  hav- 
ing made  many  converts  to  corn,  of  establishing  a  growing  trade 
for  it  in  Edinburgh  and  beyond,  and  marking  an  epoch  in  the  history 
of  the  grain  by  conclusively  proving  to  a  large  section  of  the  people  of 
the  British  Isles  that  Indian  corn,  besides  being  the  best  food  for  cattle, 
is  also  nutritious,  palatable,  and  cheap  as  an  article  of  human  food. 
A  verdict  of  this  kind,  obtained  after  full  proof  and  in  spite  of  the  prej- 
udice born  of  ignorance  of  years'  and  even  centuries'  duration,  bodes 
well  for  the  future  of  Indian  corn  in  Europe.  A  jury  of  food  experts, 
having  awarded  it  a  silver  medal,  the  highest  award  a  breadstuff  could 
obtain  at  the  exhibition,  the  indorsement  of  undoubted  scientific  and 
medical  authority  is  thus  given  to  the  use  of  Indian  corn  as  a  food,  so 
that  all  Europe  may  know  it  and  recognize  its  claims. 

WORK  UNDER  THE  AUSPICES  OF  THE  DEPARTMENT  OF  AGRICULTURE. 

During  the  exhibition  the  receipt  from  the  Secretary  of  Agriculture 
of  a  commission  to  investigate  and  to  prepare  a  report  upon  the  subject 
of  the  use  and  consumption  of  Indian  corn  in  Europe,  giving  to  my  work 
official  countenance  from  the  United  States  Department  of  Agriculture, 
enabled  me  to  continue  my  efforts  and  increased  my  influence  with 


10 

officials  and  prominent  persons  who  could  not  be  so  well  approached 
by  private  effort.  At  the  Glasgow  Industrial  Exhibition  I  followed 
the  same  methods  as  at  Edinburgh,  with  like  favorable  results.  Corn 
secured  a  foothold  at  Glasgow  also,  and  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  the 
demand  for  it  will  multiply  and  assume  large  proportions.  The  exhi- 
bition lasted  four  months,  and  Indian  corn  was  granted  the  highest 
award  as  a  cheap,  wholesome,  and  nutritious  food. 

The  exhibit  occupied  a  large  space  and  was  well  to  the  front.  Every- 
one entering  the  building  was  furnished  with  a  circular  setting  forth 
the  merits  of  corn,  and  many  visited  the  exhibition  to  partake  of  the 
food.  I  am  able  to  state  that  I  rarely  found  a  person  who  was  not  en- 
tirely pleased  with  it.  The  value  of  corn  is  becoming  appreciated,  and 
if  the  movement  which  has  been  so  successfully  begun  be  extended  and 
widened  under  the  authority  of  the  present  Secretary  of  Agriculture,  a 
market  for  many  millions  of  bushels  of  our  corn  can  be  opened  in  a  di- 
rect, simple,  and  easy  way  with  exceedingly  small  expenditure  of  money, 
by  a  continuance  of  the  method  of  education  already  adopted,  pursued 
as  circumstances  may  suggest  and  time  develop,  but  preserving  the 
essentials  of  ocular  demonstration,  distribution  of  literature,  and  giving 
the  food  to  the  public  free  or  at  nominal  cost. 

While  American  wheat  is  meeting  with  competition  from  Hungary, 
Russia,  India,  and  recently  even  from  the  Argentine  Republic,  it  is  sat- 
isfactory to  note  that  no  coiintry  in  the  world  can  compete  with  our 
corn  as  to  quality  or  price.  The  incomparable  soil  and  climate  of  the 
United  States  are  conducive  to  a  superior  growth  of  the  grain,  while 
the  cold  winters  harden  and  dry  it,  and  the  favorable  summers  bring 
it  to  perfection.  Thoroughly  developed  railway  facilities  and  a  short 
ocean  voyage  give  us  a  marked  advantage  over  Daimbian  and  Argen- 
tine Republic  corn.  Occasionally  Argentine  corn  undersells  the  Amer- 
ican, but  this  is  only  because  the  former  "sweats"  on  the  long  ocean 
journey,  caused  by  the  intense  heat  of  the  tropics,  and  arrives  in  a  dam- 
aged state,  the  owners  having  therefore  to  sell  it  for  less  than  the  mar- 
ket rate.  American  corn  is  less  liable  to  deterioration,  as  it  comes  a 
shorter  distance,  and  is  generally  landed  sound. 

In  order  to  obtain  the  best  results,  corn  intended  for  human  food  in 
foreign  countries  should  be  kiln-dried  before  shipment.  AVhen  thai  is 
done,  it  keeps  for  a  long  time  in  prime  order.  European  millers  are  not 
familiar  with,  or  if  so  do  not  practice,  the  proper  methods  of  grinding 
corn;  consequently  an  inferior  meal  is  produced,  which  strongly  mili- 
tates against  its  introduction  on  the  table.  Kiln-dried,  home-ground 
meal  is  the  first  essential  in  order  to  make  an  effective  and  creditable 
display  of  the  nutritive  qualities  and  general  excellence  of  the  grain. 
This  point  should  be  strongly  urged  on  all  interested.  The  corn  used 
at  the  exhibits  referred  to  was  kiln  dried,  home-ground,  and  gave  per- 
fect satisfaction,  but  very  little  could  be  done  with  the  meal  that  was 
ground  in  Ireland,  where  most  of  the  foreign-ground  meal  is  obtained. 


11 

Foreigners  who  assert  that  corn  is  not  a  fit  or  palatable  article  of 
food  base  their  opinion  on  their  experience  with  European  varieties  of 
the  grain,  which  are  all  distinctly  inferior  to  the  American,  inasmuch  as 
the  taste  is  harsh  and  somewhat  bitter.  The  little  American  meal 
which  is  used  as  human  food  on  this  side  is  improperly  ground  by 
foreign  millers,  and  this  fact,  together  with  ignorance  of  formulas  for 
preparing  and  cooking  it,  has  often  added  to  the  prejudice  against  it. 
The  only  way  that  these  false  impressions  and  unfounded  prejudices 
can  be  dispelled  is  by  practical  ocular  illustrations  of  its  value,  using 
the  best  American  home-ground,  kiln-dried  meal. 

In  Ireland  corn  in  the  form  of  mush,  or,  as  they  style  it,  "stirabout," 
is  consumed  largely  in  some  parts  of  the  country.  When  several  ship- 
loads of  it  were  sent  over  in  1848  the  peasants  at  first  refused  it,  but 
the  pressure  of  hunger  soon  drove  them  to  it.  Since  then  its  use  has 
been  slowly  coining  into  favor,  especially  when  the  potato  crop  fails, 
though  the  familiar  tuber  is  generally  preferred  when  plenty,  notwith- 
standing that  corn  is  cheaper  and  more  nourishing.  The  corn,  not  be- 
ing kiln-dried,  arrived  in  poor  condition,  and  the  peasants  not  knowing 
how  to  cook  it,  the  "famine  food"  did  not  have  a  fair  trial.  Under  these 
circumstances  it  could  not  be  expected  to  become  popular,  yet  Ireland 
takes  more  corn  as  human  food  than  any  other  country  in  Europe. 

One  instance  may  be  here  given  as  to  the  old  prejudice  against  corn 
in  the  city  of  Glasgow  a  few  years  ago,  before  any  attempt  was  made 
to  enlighten  the  people  as  to  its  merits  for  edible  purposes.  It  was 
proposed  by  a  member  of  the  poorhouse  board  to  substitute  Indian  corn 
for  a  costlier  food  in  their  institution.  The  mere  suggestion  brought 
a  storm  about  his  ears,  and  at  the  ensuing  election  he  was  overwhelm- 
ingly defeated  because  of  his  inhumanity  in  thrusting  on  the  defense- 
less paupers  a  food  which  the  honorable  legislators  thought  only  fit  for 
pigs. 

American  canned  goods  of  all  kinds  are  largely  sold  in  Europe,  but 
it  is  a  sad  fact  that  the  delicious  canned  corn  is  rarely  seen.  This 
should  not  be;  there  is  no  reason  why  it  should  not  figure  on  the  table 
of  the  European  as  well  as  on  that  of  the  American.  The  demand 
that  should  exist  for  it  would  mean  hundreds  of  thousands  of  dollars 
yearly  to  the  proprietors  and  workers  of  our  extensive  canneries.  Of 
those  that  have  partaken  of  it  at  my  exhibit  I  have  not  seen  one  reject 
it,  and  it  is  therefore  plain  to  me  that  the  present  small  volume  of  trade 
could  readily  be  augmented  to  greater  proportions  by  a  few  more  ex- 
hibitions on  the  same  lines. 

The  partiality  which  people  have  shown  to  the  dishes  prepared  and 
distributed  at  the  exhibition  referred  to,  and  the  favorable  notices 
received  from  various  representatives  of  public  and  medical  opinion, 
are  evidence  that  the  seed  sown  has  fallen  on  good  ground,  and  if  the 
efforts  be  continued  in  other  fields  a  rich  harvest  will  be  the  reward. 

The  use  of  potato,  tobacco,  and  tomato,  all  of  American  origin,  spread 


12 

through  Europe  and  other  parts  of  the  world  in  a  few  years  and  added 
to  the  comfort  and  happiness  of  millions.  There  is  more  hope  for  corn 
now  than  there  was  for  any  of  those  commodities,  as  it  is  already  in 
use  by  a  large  portion  of  mankind,  and  an  active  press  and  compara- 
tively enlightened  people,  which  did  not  exist  in  former  times,  will  be 
powerful  factors  in  disseminating  knowledge  of  corn,  and  will  effect- 
ively aid  our  Government  in  its  endeavor  to  extend  the  demand  for  our 
great  staple. 

In  addition  to  showing  corn  and  its  different  uses  at  exhibitions,  fairs, 
and  other  public  gatherings  throughout  Europe,  and  presenting  it  to 
the  attention  of  vegetarian  food-reform  societies  and  similar  bodies 
when  opportunity  may  allow,  a  grocery-store  propaganda  could  be  suc- 
cessfully carried  out  which  would  aid  materially  in  introducing  the 
food.  Under  this  plan  a  large  retail  grocery  establishment  should  be 
selected  for  each  city  or  town,  in  which  a  few  feet  of  space  can  be  util- 
ized for  a  small  gas  stove  and  an  expert  baker  who  would  prepare  Indian 
corn  before  the  people,  describing  its  merits  and  distributing  literature 
and  samples  free  to  customers  of  the  house.  A  few  weeks'  effort  of 
that  kind  would  make  the  district  thoroughly  acquainted  with  the  food 
and  build  up  a  trade  for  the  grocer  without  expense  to  him.  By  this 
system  every  man,  woman,  and  child  would  be  able  to  test  thoroughly 
our  corn  without  trouble  or  expense,  as  the  poorest  part  of  the  popula- 
tion can  not  always  afford  to  visit  an  exhibition.  By  giving  away  the 
food  many  would  be  induced  to  try  it  for  that  reason  alone,  as  people 
are  generally  averse  to  paying  for  experiments  they  are  asked  to  make. 

To  give  away  anything,  especially  food,  is  a  rare  proceeding  in  Europe, 
and  the  unusual  spectacle  would,  in  all  probability,  be  fully  appreciated. 
No  one  could  refuse  to  give  it  a  trial  under  those  circumstances,  and, 
basing  my  belief  on  the  result  of  long  observation  and  experience  in  the 
exhibition  work  outlined,  I  am  of  the  opinion  that  many  so  reached 
would  become  corn -eaters,  and  the  new  converts  could  not  fail  to  influ- 
ence others.  It  would  not  require  many  weeks  to  win  over  a  whole 
city  to  corn  in  this  manner  through  a  small  corn  display  in  the  largest 
grocery  establishments  of  each  district,  as  customers  from  other  stores 
would  be  drawn,  and  the  notice  of  the  general  public  would  be  attracted 
by  publicity  in  the  newspapers  and  by  other  means  of  effective  adver- 
tisement. Unlike  exhibitions,  the  groceries  would  be  always  open;  they 
could  be  visited  without  charge,  and  as  fast  as  a  demand  was  created 
the  corn  to  supply  it  could  be  procured  from  the  grocer  at  lowest  market 
prices.  To  issue  circulars  to  the  families  of  the  district,  inviting  them 
to  partake  of  the  food  at  the  grocery  stores  where  exhibited,  would 
insure  complete  results  and  enhance  the  value  of  the  scheme.  It  will 
be  obvious  to  all  that  this  method  would  be  efficacious  and  very  inex- 
pensive. Having  interviewed  some  of  the  leading  grocers,  I  find  that 
the  idea  is  received  with  favor,  and  there  would  therefore  be  no  obstacle 
to  the  immediate  opening  of  a  campaign  through  the  United  Kingdom 


13 

and  other  countries  on  the  lines  I  have  indicated.  The  work  done  at 
exhibitions  and  other  popular  gatherings  is  valuable,  though  to  properly 
display  corn  at  such  places  calls  for  considerable  expenditure,  and  there 
is  always  the  possibility  of  not  reaching  all  classes  of  people,  the  very 
poor  and  the  very  rich. 

In  addition  to  the  plan  of  grocery  store  missionary  work  just  out- 
lined, there  is  another  opportunity  for  the  spread  of  knowledge  of  corn 
in  the  United  Kingdom,  which  would  be  most  effective  and  could  be 
easily  seized  upon,  as  I  have  already  demonstrated  by  actual  experi- 
ence. In  Great  Britain,  and  upon  the  continent  to  a  less  extent,  trav- 
eling cooking  schools  or  exhibitions,  maintained  usually  by  philanthropic 
effort,  go  from  town  to  town,  instructing  the  people  by  means  of  lec- 
tures, literature,  and  experimental  cooking,  in  the  proper  preparation 
of  various  foods.  Knowledge  of  cooking  as  an  art  is  thus  disseminated 
free  of  cost,  it  being  the  intelligent  opinion  of  those  who  support  these 
peripatetic  schools  of  instruction  that  no  better  charity  can  be  done  or 
service  rendered  to  humanity  than  by  spreading  a  knowledge  of  the 
proper  methods  of  preparing  food.  These  schools  do  more  than  give 
instructions  in  the  art  of  preparing  edible  dishes;  they  give  advice  as 
to  variety  in  food,  necessary  food  for  differing  conditions,  comparative 
value  from  a  scientific  standpoint  of  different  articles,  and  other  points 
valuable  to  the  housewife  for  an  economic  study  of  the  daily  family 
table. 

The  persons  conducting  these  exhibitions  are  intelligent,  easily  ap- 
proached, and  working  solely  for  the  purpose  of  elevating  the  standard 
of  living  and  promoting  the  general  welfare  of  the  people.  With 
proper  effort  it  would  be  possible  to  make  arrangements  to  have  at 
least  one  dish  prepared  from  corn  included  in  the  lecture  or  exhibition 
of  each  school,  it  being  necessary  in  advance  to  instruct  their  teachers 
in  the  best  methods  of  preparing  palatable  dishes,  for  of  this  all  classes 
are  alike  without  information,  and  to  furnish  sufficient  meal  "for  use  in 
the  practical  exhibition.  Literature  or  circulars  giving  other  recipes, 
miscellaneous  data  upon  the  subject  generally,  and  information  as  to 
where  the  meal  might  be  obtained,  could  also  be  circulated  at  the  meet- 
ings without  very  much  expense.  After  a  trade  had  been  established, 
grocers  handling  the  meal  might  reasonably  be  called  upon  to  bear  a 
share  in  such  an  expense  in  return  for  the  advertisements  which  a  state- 
ment that  the  product  might  be  obtained  at  their  place  would  give  them. 

INDORSEMENTS    OF   THE   WORK. 

Recognizing  the  fact  that  persons  above  the  average  in  intelligence 
are  more  open  to  conviction  than  the  general  public,  their  prejudices 
giving  way  sooner  when  the  truth  is  presented,  I  have  made  a  special 
effort  to  attract  the  attention  of  prominent  persons  to  my  work.  Another 
reason  for  this  is  the  influence  which  well-known  names  exercise  in 
molding  public  opinion.  By  securing  an  indorsement  from  such 
sources  I  have  been  very  much  assisted  in  my  efforts  to  dispel  the  prej- 


14 

udice  which  exists  in  the  common  mind  against  the  use  of  corn.  I  have 
sent  samples  of  bread  and  other  preparations  to  prominent  and  public 
personages,  and  they  have  almost  uniformly  given  a  warm  approval  of 
the  work.  I  need  mention  only  one  name  that  will  be  of  special  inter- 
est to  all  Americans.  The  ex-premier  of  England,  Right  Hon.  W.  E. 
Gladstone,  writes  me  that  the  corn  bread  received  from  me  suited  his 
taste  perfectly,  and  he  would  be  most  happy  to  know  that  the  British 
people  were  taking  more  of  our  corn  than  they  have  in  the  past. 

American  diplomatic  and  consular  representatives  abroad,  who  have 
been  communicated  with,  are  unanimous  in  their  opinion  that  American 
corn  can  be  introduced  into  Europe  as  human  food  if  proper  methods 
are  taken  to  instruct  Europeans  as  to  its  merits  and  cheapness.  A  few 
extracts  may  be  quoted  from  some  of  the  letters  that  have  come  to  me. 
Consul  R.  W.  Turner,  of  Cadiz,  Spain,  writes : 

I  am  quite  sure  that  if  the  food  uses  of  corn  were  understood  it  would  become  a  kitchen 
staple  in  Spain.  The  masses  are  poor,  wages  low,  and  all  kinds  of  food  supplies  very 
high.  There  is  no  doubt  in  my  mind  that  the  fearful  mortality  in  Spain  is  largely 
due  to  the  lack  of  a  plenty  of  cheap  and  wholesome  food.  I  am  sure  that  the  proper 
efforts  to  instruct  Spain  in  the  food  virtues  of  corn  would  meet  with  success. 

Our  minister  to  Copenhagen,  Clark  E.  Carr,  esq.,  states : 

Indian  corn  is  slightly  known  in  the  northern  countries  as  human  food.  I  tried 
to  procure  some  not  long  ago,  but  failed.  Corn  starch  was  the  only  product  of- In- 
dian corn  known  in  the  market.  Finally  I  had  some  corn  ground  at  the  local  mill, 
but  the  corn  was  not  in  good  condition,  and  further,  being  improperly  ground,  the 
result  was  not  happy.  I  think  that  with  systematic  effort,  as  you  propose,  our  In- 
dian corn  can  be  brought  into  general  use  in  all  Scandinavian  countries.  I  believe 
that  in  introducing  this  wholesome,  nutritious  food  among  these  people  we  shall  be 
doing  them  a  greater  kindness  than  to  ourselves. 

Consul  Turner  reports  to  the  State  Department  as  follows: 

The  great  question  with  the  working  classes  of  Spain  is  how  to  get  bread.  This 
question  would  be  less  difficult  of  solution  were  the  food  uses  of  Indian  corn  as  well 
understood  here  as  in  the  United  States.  Corn  bread,  etc.%would  be  great  gifts  to 
the  workers  of  Europe,  and  it  would  seem  that  an  understanding  of  their  value 
might  be  brought  about  wherever  the  bread  is  hard  to  get.  Being  wholesome  and 
cheap,  corn  should  win  its  way.  While  corn  has  sold  in  the  Missouri  Valley 
at  15  to  20  cents  a  bushel,  the  people  of  Spain  pay  8  cents  a  pound  for  bread.  Bis- 
cuits manufactured  by  Peek,  Frean  &  Co.,  London,  retail  in  Cadiz  for  $1  a  kilo- 
gram. 

Consul  Rroosevelt,  Brussels,  Belgium,  writes: 

Corn  is  not  used  by  the  Belgians  as  an  article  of  food.  Belgian  peasants  are  not 
epicures,  and  devour  almost  every  thing  that  grows,  except  horse  chestnuts.  Tlicy  live, 
principally  on  black  bread,  though  the  well-to-do  classes  use  wheat  bread.  I  am 
confident  that  if  corn  were  properly  introduced  in  this  market,  and  pamphlets  pub- 
lished in  the  French  language  showing  the  different  methods  of  preparing  the  same 
for  food,  the  result  would  be  that  within  twelve  mouths  two-thirds  of  the  peasants, 
mechanics,  and  well-to-do  classes  would  be  using  it.  It  would  not  only  be  a  blessing 
to  the  poor,  but  as  corn  can  not  be  properly  raised  in  this  country,  it  would  make  a 
market  for  farmers  of  the  Western  States  of  our  country.  Once  the  people  of  Europe 
are  convinced  that  Indian  corn  is  such  a  valuable  breadstuff,  there  will  be  a  great 
demand  for  it.  and  inasmuch  as  we  are  the  great  corn-producing  country,  the  supply 
must  naturally  come  from  us. 


15 

I  endeavored  to  have  an  exhibit  at  the  great  Agricultural  Exhibition, 
Vienna  (1«S90),  but  I  could  not  come  to  a  satisfactory  arrangement  with 
the  authorities.  I  conducted  part  of  the  correspondence  through  our 
consul-general  at  Vienna,  Julius  Goldschmidt,  esq.,  who  Avarrnly  inter- 
ested himself  in  my  efforts.  Referring  to  the  exhibition,  in  his  report 
to  the  State  Department,  he  says: 

The  people  of  Europe  and  adjacent  countries  do  not  eat  what  in  America  is  called 
corn,  the  word  here  meaning  almost  the  same  as  grain  does  with  us.  Corn  is  our 
largest  crop,  yet  it  is  that  which  we  get  least  for,  and  such  exhibits  (Indian  corn 
displays)  would  certainly  result  in  an  enlarged  demand,  which  is  at  present  only 
jibout  3  per  cent  of  the  whole  yearly  sum  of  our  exportation.  Many  enterprises 
would  profit  by  it  besides  the  farmers,  corn  merchants,  shippers,  and  transportation 
companies.  A  display  of  our  com  at  Vienna  could  be  regarded  as  a  nucleus  and 
starting  point  of  a  series  of  similar  exhibits  in  other  parts  of  Europe.  There  is  room 
in  Europe  for  the  consumption  of  several  hundred  million  bushels  of  American  corn 
per  year,  much  of  it  as  food  for  human  beings  who  do  not  now  get  enough  to  eat. 
They  do  not  know  an y  more  to-day  how  to  utilize  it  as  a  human  foodthan  they  did  fifty 
years  ago.  All  the  known  preparations  of  corn  should  be  prepared,  put  on  show, 
and  distributed  as  samples  free  of  charge  to  visitors. 

AMERICAN  CORN  IN  GERMANY. 

My  transfer,  under  your  orders,  from  Great  Britain  to  Germany  has, 
to  a  certain  extent,  interrupted  the  progress  of  ray  work  in  the  former 
country.  At  the  same  time,  I  think  I  may  safely  assert  that  the  sub- 
ject of  Indian  corn  and  its  products  for  use  as  a  human  food  has  been 
sufficiently  well  introduced  through  the  various  channels  which  I  have 
already  indicated  to  insure  progress  in  the  work,  for  in  these  cooking 
schools  and  among  the  various  representatives  of  charitable  or  other 
public  institutions,  and  leaders  in  philanthropic  work,  the  value  of 
American  corn  in  this  respect  has  at  last  begun  to  be  understood.  In 
a  word,  then,  though  my  work  maybe  temporarily  interrupted,  I  feel  sat- 
isfied that  I  have  left  it  in  a  condition  to  be  made  available  by  the  indi- 
vidual energy  of  our  dealers  in  Indian  corn  and  its  products.  Indeed, 
I  may  confess  to  a  little  disappointment  that  my  efforts  heretofore  have 
not  elicited  a  more  energetic  cooperation  on  the  part  of  persons  so  di- 
rectly interested  in  the  development  of  this  industry,  and  I  deem  it  to 
be  my  duty  in  closing  the  report  upon  the  work  which  I  have  done  in 
Great  Britain  under  your  direction  up  to  the  present  time  to  emphasize 
the  fact  that,  thanks  to  the  encouragement  given  by  you  to  this  work 
and  as  a  result  of  my  own  humble  efforts,  the  good  seed  has  been 
thoroughly  well  sown,  and  it  remains  for  individual  enterprise,  in  which, 
certainly,  our  American  people  have  never  yet  been  found  wanting,  to 
cultivate  the  field  and  reap  the  harvest. 

In  regard  to  the  work  in  Germany,  it  is  only  possible  at  this  writing  to 
sketch  the  outlook,  and  this,  I  am  glad  to  say,  is  very  flattering.  While 
so  far  I  do  not  find,  perhaps,  as  many  channels  through,  which  to  reach 
the  people  at  large  as  in  Great  Britain,  I  am  happy  to  say  that  I  find  a 
disposition  on  the  part  of  Government  officers  to  cordially  cooperate 


16 

m  my  work,  and  I  need  hardly  say  that  in  this  country  the  countenance 
of  the  Government  counts  for  a  great  deal.  That  I  have  been  able  so 
promptly  to  present  my.  work  to  the  consideration  of  influential 
personages  here  is  largely  due  to  the  cordial  manner  in  which  my  mis- 
sion has  been  welcomed  by  United  States  Minister  Phelps,  who  has 
shown  much  interest  in  the  work,  and  has  afforded  me  every  opportunity 
inhispower  topushitm  influential  quarters.  It  givesme  plea  sure  to  take 
this  opportunity  to  state,  however,  that  the  action  of  the  United  States 
minister  hereis  fully  in  accord  with  the  general  disposition  of  those  of  our 
diplomatic  representatives  abroad  with  whom  I  have  been  brought  in  con- 
tact in  the  prosecution  of  the  work  intrusted  to  me.  I  am  also  in  receipt  of 
letters  from  individuals  asking  for  information,  and  showing  much  in- 
terest in  the  work.  The  condition  of  things  on  the  continent  is  favorable 
to  the  introduction  of  a  new  cereal  food  and  a  new  source  of  supply. 
I  am,  moreover,  extremely  hopeful  of  securing  favorable  consideration 
on  the  part  of  the  army  officials  of  a  bread  to  be  composed  half  of  corn 
meal  and  half  of  rye  meal,  for  use  as  army  rations  in  place  of  a  bread 
made  of  rye  exclusively.  I  have  already  caused  several  loaves  of  such 
bread  to  be  baked,  and  have  submitted  them  to  various  persons,  among 
them  some  Government  officials,  and  I  may  state  that  in  every  case 
where  tested  this  bread  has  received  the  highest  commendation.  It's 
cost  will  be  much  less  than  a  bread  consisting  of  rye  exclusively,  and 
I  am  satisfied  that  high  medical  authorities  will  substantiate  its  great 
value  as  a  food. 
Respectfully  submitted. 

C.  J.  MURPHY, 
Special  Agent  in  Europe  of  the  U.  8.  Department 

of  Agriculture,  in  the  Interest  of  Indian  Corn. 

BERLIN,  October  1}  1891. 


THE  FOOD  VALUE  OF  MAIZE. 


By  Dr.  H.  W.  WILEY,  Chief  Chemist. 


The  value  of  maize  as  food  can  best  be  determined  by  actual  use.  A 
fair  idea  of  its  character,  however,  can-  be  obtained  by  a  comparison  of 
its  chemical  composition  with  that  of  other  cereals  used  as  food.  The 
vast  extent  of  country  over  which  maize  can  be  grown  and  the  immense 
quantities  of  it  which  are  produced  render  an  accurate  idea  of  its  food 
value  of  the  greatest  interest.  In  the  United  States  there  is  perhaps 
no  other  great  staple  crop  of  which  it  can  be  said  that  it  can  be  pro- 
duced abundantly  and  profitably  in  every  State  and  Territory  of  our 
Union.  Indian  corn  grows  well  in  Florida;  it  is  also  one  of  the  abun- 
dant crops  of  Minnesota.  Along  the  Atlantic  and  Pacific  coasts  it  can 
be  found  in  great  luxuriance.  It  is  true  that  there  are  certain  parts  of 
the  Missouri,  Mississippi,  and  Ohio  valleys,  known  as  the  great  corn  belt 
of  the  Northwest,  in  which  the  greater  portion  of  the  crop  of  maize  is 
produced.  It  is  nevertheless  true  that  it  is  a  valuable  and  indispensa- 
ble crop  in  every  part  of  our  country. 

Maize  is  also  used  as  food  in  many  other  countries,  but  in  the  great 
cereal-consuming  countries  of  Europe  its  value  is  little  appreciated. 
In  these  countries  rye,  oats,  barley,  and  wheat  still  form  the  great  sup- 
ply of  cereal  food  for  the  consumption  of  the  people.  A  proper  under- 
standing of  the  value  of  maize  would  at  once  place  it  in  near  competi- 
tion with  the  other  cereals  mentioned  as  a  supply  for  the  inhabitants 
of  the  continent  of  Europe.  As  a  further  means  of  appreciating  the 
position  of  maize  as  a  food,  it  would  perhaps  be  proper  to  call  attention 
to  the  particular  value  of  each  of  its  constituents  in  the  nourish- 
ment of  the  human  body.  Food,  to  be  perfect,  must  give  to  the  body 
all  the  necessary  constituents  to  supply  tissues  for  its  growth  and  to 
take  the  place  of  the  waste  of  tissue  which  is  a  necessary  attendant  on 
the  functions  of  life.  That  article  of  food  which  is  best  calculated  to 
supply  the  wants  above  mentioned  would  be,  of  necessity,  the  most  val- 
uable for  food  purposes.  In  general,  we  may  say  of  foods  that  they 
should  be  fat-producers,  muscle-producers,  bone-producers,  and  most 
of  all  blood-producers,  since  it  is  through  the  blood  that  the  tissues  of 
the  body  are  nourished.  The  food  should  also  supply  to  the  body  the 
necessary  materials  which,  by  consumption  within  the  body,  supply 
11625 2  11 


18 

animal  heat.  A  proper  balance  between  all  these  functions  of  food  is 
necessary  to  constitute  any  one  article  preeminently  a  food.  It  would 
be  improper  in  this  place  to  go  into  any  extended  discussion  of  the 
physiological  action  of  digestion,  therefore  only  a  mere  allusion  will  be 
made  to  these  aspects  of  the  subject. 

As  fat-producers  are  generally  reckoned  the  starches  and  sugars 
which  the  food  contains.  The  albuminoids  which  arc  taken  in  food  are 
supposed  to  serve  chiefly  for  the  nourishment  of  the  muscular  tissues 
and  to  supply  the  nitrogenous  principles  of  the  blood.  In  the  ash  con- 
stituents of  food  are  found  those  mineral  substances  which  are  necessary 
to  supply  the  tissues  of  bone,  such  as  phosphoric  acid  and  lime,  which 
are  its  chief  constituents..  The  fats  of  food  are  supposed  to  be  preemi- 
nently the  source  of  animal  heat,  furnishing  the  same  by  their  combus- 
tion in  the  different  parts  of  the  body  under  the  action  of  the  oxygen  of 
the  air. 

In  cereal  foods,  together  with  starch,  may  be  reckoned  the  entire 
content  of  such  foods  in  carbohydrates;  that  is,  including  starch,  dex- 
trine, and  sugars  in  general,  together  with  the  fiber  of  the  grain,  which 
is  composed  almost  exclusively  of  carbohydrates,  a  large  part  of  which 
is  digestible.  The  albuminoids  of  cereals  contain  various  substances, 
all  being  related  to  each  other  and  containing  approximately  the  same 
percentage  of  nitrogen.  This  nitrogen  content  is  the  chief  characteristic 
of  the  albuminoid  foods.  In  wheat,  for  instance,  one  of  the  chief  albu- 
minoid substances  is  gluten,  while  in  maize  the  content  of  gluten  is  not 
so  large  and  other  forms  of  albuminoids  predominate.  With  these  p're- 
liminary  observations  we  may  proceed  to  make  a  short  study  of  maize 
as  a  food  in  comparison  with  the  other  cereals. 

The  Department  of  Agriculture  has  carried  on  extensive  investiga- 
tions in  regard  to  the  composition  of  American  cereals.  In  regard  to 
the  maize  of  the  United  States  the  following  analytical  data  have  been 
determined  and  are  recorded  in  Bulletin  No.  1  of  the  Chemical  Division 
of  the  Department  of  Agriculture.  The  average  composition  of  maize 
for  the  whole  country  is  shown  in  the  following  table : 

Per  cent. 

Water 10. 04 

Ash 1.52 

Fat 5.20 

Carbohydrates  exclusive  of  indigestible  fiber 70.  69 

Carbohydrates  as  indigestible  fiber 2. 09 

Albuminoids 10. 46 

The  highest  albuminoids  found  in  maize  was  13.C5  per  cent  and  the 
lowest  7  per  cent.  There  are  slight  variations  found  in  maize  grown  in 
different  parts  of  the  country,  but  these  variations  are  not  large  enough 
to  materially  affect  the  data  given  above. 

In  regard  to  the  comparison  of  the  analyses  of  maize  by  the  Depart- 
ment of  Agriculture  and  that  given  by  other  analyses,  the  following- 
table  will  give  all  the  necessary  information : 


19 


Average  of  American  corn  compared  with  averages  of  foreign  investigations. 


Department 
of 

Agriculture. 

Kilenig. 

Wolff. 

Water  

10.04 

13.12 

14.40 

Ash                                            

1.52 

1.51 

1.50 

Oil                                                     

5.20 

4.62 

6.50 

70  69 

68  41 

62  10 

Fiber    '                     

2.09 

2.49 

5.50 

10.46 

9.85 

10.00 

100.00 

100.  00 

100.  00 

In  regard  to  this  comparison  of  analyses  Mr.  Clifford  Bichardson, 
who  conducted  the  investigations  at  the  Department  of  Agriculture, 
makes  the  following  observations : 

There  is  no  marked  difference  between  the  averages,  except  in  the  matter  of 
water,  where,  as  in  the  case  of  wheat,  our  maize  is  much  drier.  The  American  is 
rather  better  than  the  foreign  article,  if  anything. 

In  the  averages  for  different  sections  of  the  country  another  fact  is  discovered, 
which,  after  our  experience  with  wheat,  is  still  more  surprising  than  the  result  ot 
the  comparison  of  American  and  foreign  corns. 

There  is  apparently  the  same  aA^erage  amount  of  ash,  oil,  and  albuminoids  "where- 
ever  it  grows,  with  the  exception  of  the  Pacific  slope,  where,  as  with  wheat,  there 
seems  to  be  no  faculty  for  obtaining  or  assimilating  nitrogen. 

The  amount  of  water  is  variable,  but,  as  has  been  said,  many  of  the  samples  had 
been  on  exhibition  for  a  considerable  time,  and  were  consequently  dried  out. 

The  iu crease  in  fiber  from  east  to  west  is  not  paralleled  in  the  wheat,  but,  as  we 
have  seen,  is  often  a  feature  of  increased  vigor. 

In  regard  to  the  composition  of  the  ash  of  maize  the  following  table 
will  give  the  necessary  data : 

Per  cent. 

Phosphoric  acid 39. 65 

Magnesia 15. 44 

Silica 2.  09 

Oxide  of  iron .60 

Soda 7.54 

Lime 1. 59 

Sulphuric  acid 5. 54 

Potash 26.  63 

Loss ...  .92 


100.00 


It  is  now  necessary  to  bring  together  in  a  comparative  table  the 
chemical  composition  of  the  leading  cereals  in  order  to  determine,  by 
inspection,  their  relative  value  as  foods,  based  upon  the  proportions  of 
digestible  matter  which  they  contain. 


Hulled 
oats. 

Wheat. 

Rye. 

Barley. 

Maize. 

Water                .          

6  93 

10  27 

8  67 

6  53 

10  04 

Ash       

2  15 

1  84 

2  09 

2  89 

1  52 

Oil  or  fat 

8  14 

2  16 

1  94 

2  68 

5  20 

07  09 

71  98 

74  52 

72  77 

70  69 

1.38 

1  80 

1  46 

3  80 

2  09 

Albuminoids  

14.  31 

11.95 

11.32 

11.33 

10  46 

20 


The  above  results  are  based  upon  results  obtained  at  the  Department 
of  Agriculture,  in  the  Chemical  Division,  in  an  extensive  series  of  analy- 
ses of  American  cereals  extending  over  several  years,  beginning  in  1882 
and  ending  in  1886.  It  will  be  of  interest  to  make  a  comparison  of 
these  results  with  the  mean  data  collected  by  European  analysts  in  re- 
gard to  the  composition  of  the  chief  cereals. 

In  the  following  table,  taken  from  Koenig,  are  given  the  data  referred 
to  above: 

Mean  composition  of  cereals. 
[From  Koenig.    Compilation.] 


Moisture. 

Crude 
protein. 

Crude  fat. 

Nitrogen 
free  ex- 
tract.* 

Grade 
fiber. 

Ash. 

Mean  of  948  analyses  of  wheat  from  all 

13.37 

12.04 

1.85 

68.65 

2  31 

1  78 

12.58 

6.73 

0.88 

78.48 

0.51 

0  82 

13  37 

10  81 

1  77 

7(1  21 

1  78 

2  06 

11  79 

10  51 

4  26 

68  16 

2  48 

2  80 

14  05 

9.66 

1.93 

66  99 

4  95 

2  42 

12.68 

10  18 

1.90 

71.73 

1  65 

1  86 

12.11 

10.66 

4.99 

58.37 

10.58 

3  29 

Mean  composition  of  maize   from  all 

13.35 

9.45 

4.29 

69.33 

2.29 

1.29 

From  the  above  data  it  is  possible  to  form  a  correct  idea  of  the  com- 
parative food  value  of  maize  as  compared  with  the  other  leading  cereals, 
viz,  wheat,  oats,  rye,  and  barley.  First  of  all,  it  will  be  seen  that  in 
the  water  content  of  maize  there  is  a  striking  resemblance  to  wheat. 
It  has  slightly  less  water  than  wheat,  and  considerably  more  than 
hulled  oats,  rye,  or  barley.  In  regard  to  the  ash,  it  is  as  low  or  lower 
than  that  of  any  other  cereal.  It  approaches  more  nearly  that  of  wheat 
than  that  of  hulled  oats,  rye,  or  barley.  It  is  hardly  fair,  however,  to 
make  a  comparison  with  hulled  oats  alone,  inasmuch  as  when  oats  are 
used  for  food  they  are  ground  with  the  husk  on.  Especially  is  this  true 
when  used  for  animal  food. 

In  regard  to  the  oil  or  fat,  maize  takes  distinctively  the  first  place, 
with  the  exception  of  hulled  oats.  It  contains  more  than  twice  as  much 
oil  as  wheat,  three  times  as  much  as  rye,  twice  as  much  as  barley,  and 
two-thirds  as  much  as  hulled  oats.  In  respect  to  the  digestible  carbo- 
hydrates, meaning  by  this  term  sugar,  starch,  dextrine,  and  digestible 
fiber,  we  find  that  maize  takes  its  place  along  with  the  other  cereals. 
It  has  more  digestible  carbohydrates  than  hulled  oats,  almost  the  same 
as  wheat,  and  slightly  less  than  rye  or  barley. 

Concerning  the  quantity  of  indigestible  carbohydrates,  meaning  by 
this  term  the  indigestible  fiber  contained  in  the  cereal,  it  is  found  that 
maize  occupies  a  mean  position  in  the  list.  It  has  not  as  large  a  per- 
centage of  indigestible  fiber  as  hulled  oats,  a  slightly  larger  quantity 
than  wheat  or  rye,  and  a  considerable  less  quantity  than  barley. 


*  pigestible  carbohydrates. 


21 

In  regard  to  the  matters  containing  nitrogen,  which  are  grouped 
under  the  general  head  of  albuminoids,  it  is  seen  by  the  table  that  the 
first  place  must  be  awarded  to  hulled  oats.  Compared  with  the  other 
cereals  maize  has  only  a  slightly  lower  percentage  of  these  valuable 
constituents.  Concerning  the  digestible  matters  in  general,  indicated 
in  the  above  table,  it  may  be  said  that  the  most  important  of  the  list 
are  the  digestible  carbohydrates.  Next  in  importance  must  be  placed 
the  bodies  containing  nitrogen,  viz,  the  albuminoids.  The  third  class 
in  value  will  contain  the  oils  or  fats.  The  ash  must  also  not  be  left  out 
of  consideration,  since  it  is  from  this  portion  of  the  plant  that  the  tis- 
sues of  the  bones  especially  are  nourished.  Water  may  be  left  out  of 
account  as  of  no  food  value,  although  it  is  indispensable  to  the  nourish- 
ment of  the  human  body.  Its  lack  of  commercial  value  renders  its 
occurrence  in  foods  in  large  quantities  objectionable  when  their  food 
value  is  considered  pound  for  pound. 

As  indicated  by  the  above  analyses  maize  is  fully  equal  in  value  as  a 
food  to  any  of  the  cereals,  making  up  in  its  content  of  fat  any  deficiency 
which  may  be  noticed  in  its  nitrogenous  matters  and  digestible  carbo- 
hydrates. This  conclusion,  however,  as  to  the  food  value  of  maize,  does 
not  rest  alone  upon  the  comparison  of  analytical  data.  The  long  years 
of  use  of  this  article  by  man  and  beast  have  shown  its  high  character. 
Whether'to  be  used  as  food  for  producing  muscle  for  labor  or  as  a  means 
of  fattening  animals,  it  has  been  found  to  be  of  superior  value  to  any 
of  the  other  cereals  produced  in  the  United  States.  It  feeds  a  large 
portion  of  the  laboring  men  of  the  country,  especially  in  the  South.  It 
is  the  almost  universal  food  for  fattening  hogs,  but  in  every  function  in 
which  it  has  been  used  it  has  been  found  to  bear  out  equally  well  the 
high  place  accorded  to  it  from  a  study  of  its  chemical  composition. 


Prepared  by  B.  W.  SNOW,  Assistant  Statistician,  under  the  direction  of 
J.  E.  DODGE,  Statistician. 


Indian  corn  or  maize  occupies  the  leading  position  in  the  agriculture 
of  the  United  States,  both  as  regards  aggregate  volume  of  the  annual 
product  and  the  area  under  cultivation.  It  is  also  the  most  widely  dis- 
tributed crop,  being  grown  to  more  or  less  extent  in  every  State  and  Ter- 
ritory, and  almost  in  every  county  in  which  agriculture  is  carried  on.  In 
actual  breadth  cultivated  it  each  year  exceeds  the  aggregate  area  de- 
voted to  all  other  cereals  and  potatoes,  is  about  double  the  breadth  cut 
for  hay,  and  is  groAVii  upon  an  area  greater  than  that  devoted  to  wheat, 
oats,  and  cotton  together.  With  an  acreage  of  78,000,000  acres  it  is 
the  largest  arable  crop  grown  in  any  country,  and  our  capabilities  of 
extension  in  its  production  are  hardly  appreciated.  It  is  a  promi- 
nent if  not  the  leading  crop  in  every  State  except  in  some  of  the  Rocky 
Mountain  districts,  where  the  elevation  is  too  great  for  the  best  results, 
and  on  the  Pacific  coast,  where  it  is  a  minor  crop  simply  because  farmers 
have  had  more  profitable  croj>s  to  which  they  have  turned  their  attention. 
Its  overshadowing  importance  in  our  agriculture  is  shown  by  the  fact 
that  the  area  devoted  to  its  culture  in  many  districts  exceeds  that  given 
to  the  special  crop  for  which  that  district  is  famous.  Taking  the  eleven 
cotton  States  as  a  whole,  they  devote  a  larger  area  of  their  cultivated 
land  to  corn  than  to  their  snowy  staple.  In  this  respect  corn  is  greater 
than  cotton  in  the  very  dominion  of  the  kingly  plant.  The  great  wheat 
belt  of  the  Ohio  and  Missouri  valleys  gives  maize  a  more  prominent 
position  than  that  occupied  by  wheat  itself.  The  acreage  now  planted 
in  a  single  year  is  greater  than  the  total  surface  area  of  New  England, 
New  York,  and  New  Jersey  combined ;  greater  than  the  whole  area  of 
the  United  Kingdom,  or  of  Belgium,  Holland,  Switzerland,  Denmark, 
Portugal,  and  Greece  combined.  It  more  than  equals  in  extent  the 
total  cultivated  land  in  France,  or  Germany,  or  Austria-Hungary,  and 
is  three-fourths  as  large  as  the  aggregate  acreage  sown  to  wheat  in  all 
the  countries  of  Europe  together.  In  measured  quantity  our  crop  of  a 
single  year  has  exceeded  the  wheat  crop  of  the  civilized  world,  and  no 
other  grain  crop  approaches  it  in  volume. 

The  growing  of  maize  is  not  only  the  most  important  branch  of 
our  arable  agriculture,  but  the  product  itself  is  again  the  foundation 

23 


24 

upon  which  rests  a  large  part  of  our  wonderful  rural  development. 
About  90  per  cent  of  our  crop  is  annually  consumed  in  this  country,  and 
more  than  80  per  cent  never  crosses  the  lines  of  the  county  in  which 
it  is  grown — is  virtually  consumed  on  the  farm  where  grown.  It  is 
the  great  American  crop.  On  the  farm  it  feeds  the  working  animals, 
fattens  the  beeves  and  hogs,  is  an  important  constituent  in  butter  and 
cheese  production,  and  forms  part  of  the  family  ration.  It  appeal's 
upon  the  table  in  American  homes  both  as  meat  and  bread,  and  again 
in  the  form  of  tempting  and  appetizing  delicacies  skillfully  prepared 
from  some  of  its  many  products.  The  forage  which  its  blades  furnish 
makes  up  a  large  portion  of  the  winter  feed  of  farm  animals  in  many 
sections  of  the  country  where  it  supplements  and  sometimes  takes  the 
place  of  hay.  This  is  especially  true  in  the  South  where  grasses  for 
hay  have  not  generally  been  successfully  cultivated,  and  in  the  dairying 
districts  where  the  use  of  the  green  plant  entire  in  the  form  of  ensilage 
is  a  common  practice. 

INDIAN  CORN  AS  AN  ARTICLE  OF  EXPORT. 

Occupying  as  it  does  the  first  place  in  American  agriculture,  corn 
might  naturally  be  expected  to  figure  largely  in  our  annual  exports  of 
agricultural  products.  The  farmer's  contributions  to  our  foreign  com- 
merce have  always  been  large,  the  results  of  his  labor  furnishing  75  per 
cent  of  the  total  value  of  our  shipments  abroad.  Maize,  however,  has 
never  been  an  important  export  item,  the  average  annual  shipment  dur- 
ing the  period,  1870  to  1890  inclusive,  being  but  56,000,000  bushels,  and 
the  heaviest  shipment  in  a  single  year  amounted  to  only  103,000,000 
bushels.  Less  than  4  per  cent  of  the  production  of  the  period  has  been 
sold  abroad  and  G.5  per  cent  is  the  largest  proportion  for  any  year  of 
the  two  decades.  The  foreign  demand  has  been  almost  entirely  for  use 
as  animal  food,  and  it  is  wanted  in  competition  with  oats,  roots,  and  the 
ordinary  European  provender  for  work  animals.  The  volume  demanded 
depends  upon  the  price  at  home,  as  it  is  only  wanted  when  cheaper  than 
other  articles  with  which  it  can  be  used  interconvertibly.  The  domes- 
tic price  regulates  the  Liverpool  price  and  determines  the  volume  of 
shipment,  an  examination  of  trade  returns  showing  that  exports  have 
been  large  when  prices  were  low  and  small  when  better  values  ruled  in 
tli is  country. 

Very  little  effort  has  ever  been  made  by  the  people  of  this  country  to 
extend  their  foreign  shipments  in  corn,  and  the  Government  itself  has 
lent  little  or  no  aid  in  what  has  been  done.  There  are  abundant  reasons 
why  our  Government  should  interest  itself  in  inaugurating  a  foreign 
trade  in  this  prod  net.  It  is  the  greatest  arable  crop  which  we  grow, 
oceupies  the  largest  portion  of  our  cultivated  area,  and  is  suited  for  cul- 
tivation  in  almost  every  section  of  our  domain.  On  account  of  the  su- 
perior quality  of  American  corn,  due  to  the  exceptional  soil  and  climatic 
conditions  which  we  possess,  whatever  demand  for  this  cereal  is  created 


25 

throughout  the  world  must  largely  be  supplied  from  our  own  fields. 
Under  present  conditions,  the  corn  crop  of  the  world  is  greater  in  aggre- 
gate measured  volume  than  that  of  wheat,  and  we  grow  at  least  three- 
fourths  of  all,  And  the  area  devoted  to  its  cultivation  in  the  United 
States  is  still  sit  sceptible  of  great  extension.  During  the  past  fifty  years 
our  population  has  increased  less  than  fourfold,  while  our  production  of 
this  staple  is  now  five  times  as  great  as  it  was  in  1840,  and  if  the  demand 
existed  o;si  farmers  might  easily  double  their  present  acreage  and  prod- 
uct. Whatever  competition  might  be  met  in  its  production  would  be 
a  competition  among  our  own  people,  and  one  which  we  ourselves  could 
satisfactorily  regulate. 

No  private  agency  exists  which  can  be  depended  upon  to  make  the 
effort  to  enlighten  foreign  people  upon  the  merits  of  our  great  crop,  or 
to  push  its  exportation  upon  lines  any  broader  than  those  which  have 
been  laid  down  by  the  commerce  of  the  present  day.  In  the  case  of 
wheat,  a  demand  already  exists  which  private  firms  are  ready  to  supply, 
but  if  the  demand  did  not  exist,  private  individuals  would  interest 
themselves  but  very  little  in  pushing  the  introduction  of  a  product  not 
already  an  article  of  commerce.  In  addition  to  the  demand  for  our 
wheat,  we  have  our  great  mills  which  are  able  and  ready  to  push  the 
introduction  abroad  of  the  flour  which  they  produce,  and  in  the  case  of 
our  meat  production,  our  packing  houses  may  be  trusted  to  take  advan- 
tage of  every  possible  opportunity  for  enlargement  of  their  foreign 
trade.  In  the  «ase  of  maize,  however,  there  are  no  individuals  or  asso- 
ciations that  can  be  relied  upon  to  enter  into  the  work  of  educating  the 
tastes  of  the  people  of  other  countries.  While  all  of  our  own  people, 
especially  those  who  are  engaged  in  tilling  the  soil,  are  interested  in 
anything  tending  to  enlarge  the  trade  in  maize  and  its  products,  none 
of  them  have  such  a  special  interest  as  would  result  in  their  organizing 
an  effort  upon  the  proper  lines.  If  such  a  systematic  and  organized 
effort  is  to  be  made,  it  must  therefore  naturally  be  made  by  the  Govern- 
ment. The  part  which  the  Government  has  to  play,  however,  will  of 
course  properly  end  when  the  j)eople  of  foreign  countries  have  been 
taught  to  appreciate  the  merits  of  maize  as  a  food  product,  and  a  de- 
mand for  our  surplus  has  been  created. 

As  a  matter  of  course,  the  interest  of  this  Government  in  the  inau- 
guration and  extension  of  such  a  trade  ends  with  the  advantages  and 
benefits  which  our  own  people  are  to  derive  from  it.  There  is,  how- 
ever, another  point  of  view  which  might  be  termed  the  philanthropic 
side  of  the  question.  Under  present  conditions,  there  is  but  little 
variety  in  the  breadstuffs  which  form  the  daily  rations  of  the  populous 
empires  of  China,  Japan,  and  British  India.  In  the  oriental  countries, 
where  the  struggle  for  existence  is  most  fierce,  and  where  the  search  is 
continually  for  the  cheapest  material  with  nutritious  value  sufficient  for 
the  support  of  human  life,  it  seems  as  if  there  might  be  a  wide  field  for 
the  introduction  of  our  product.  Certain  it  is  that  in  China  and  Japan 


26 

the  native  population  among  the  lower  classes  are  hard  pressed  by  the 
wants  oi'  nature,  and  if  they  could  be  taught  that  our  niaixe  furnishes! 
a  food  stuff  of  exceptional  value,  cheap  and  in  regular  supply,  a  demand 
of  enormous  proportions  might  be  created.  In  Europe  the  kind  of 
grain  used  marks  in  a  distinct  manner  the  differences  between  the 
upper  or  wealthy  class  and  the  more  numerous  poorer  classes.  Wheat 
is  the  aristocratic  and  rye  the  plebeian  grain,  and  there  is  but  little 
gradation  between  these  extremes  of  breadstuff's.  The  introduction  of 
maize  and  its  products  might  well  give  a  welcome  addition  to  the  dietary 
of  all  classes — those  who  dine  upon  the  dainty  white  loaf,  as  well  as 
those  whose  subsistence  is  largely  upon  the  coarse  and  cheaper  breads 
from  rye  and  other  grains.  To  the  first  will  be  offered  numerous 
toothsome  dishes,  maizeuas,  starches,  and  other  preparations,  while 
for  those  occupying  less  favored  stations  in  life,  a  cheap  grain  capable 
of  indefinite  variations  in  preparation,  both  nourishing  and  healthful, 
will  give  more  variety  to  the  daily  food  supply,  and  bring  additional 
comfort  and  contentment  into  the  lives  of  the  great  mass  of  the  Old 
World's  population.  From  a  hygienic  standpoint,  the  introduction  of 
a  new  food  giving  additional  variety  is  desirable,  and  in  this  case  on 
account  of  the  valuable  qualities  of  corn  the  extension  is  doubly 
desirable. 

Prior  to  the  effort  which  is  nowr  being  made  by  this  Department,  this 
Government  has  never  taken  any  organized  or  systematic  means  of 
calling  attention  of  either  foreign  people  or  foreign  governments  to  the 
advantages  which  might  follow  a  more  general  consumption  of  maize 
and  its  products.  The  failure  to  take  any  such  steps  has  sometimes 
been  so  marked  as  to  savor  of  neglect.  In  the  exhibition  of  the  prod- 
ucts of  this  country,  which  have  been  prepared  for  foreign  expositions 
during  the  last  decade,  but  little  attention  has  been  paid  to  a  show- 
ing of  corn  and  its  products.  The  opportunity  which  the  gathering 
together  of  millions  of  the  most  intelligent  people  of  the  different  Euro- 
pean countries  has  offered  for  an  extension  of  knowledge  upon  this 
subject  has  heretofore  been  disregarded.  The  foreign  exhibitions 
which  we  have  made  have  usually  been  vastly  creditable  both  to  the 
genius  of  our  people  and  to  the  energy  of  our  Government,  but  they 
have  been  usually  prepared  with  a  view  to  showing  what  we  are  doing 
and  what  we  are  capable  of  doing  in  the  way  of  supplying  demands 
which  already  exist.  Maize,  making  but  a  small  showing  in  our  for- 
eign trade,  has  been  given  but  small  space,  whereas  a  new  trade  might 
have  been  created  had  special  effort  been  made  in  its  behalf. 

The  governments  of  the  principal  countries  of  Europe  are  already 
favorable  to  the  importation  of  our  corn,  leaving  the  prejudice  of  their 
people  against  its  use  as  food  the  only  obstacle  to  be  overcome.  The 
importation  is  free  of  duty  in  the  United  Kingdom,  France,  Belgium, 
Holland,  and  Denmark,  and  only  a  moderate  rate  of  duty  is  imposed  in 
Germany  and  Spain.  It  seems  that  it  might  be  possible  to  accomplish 


27 

much  in  the  work  now  in  hand  by  an  intelligent  effort  to  interest  gov- 
ernment officials  in  the  question.  One  of  the  greatest  problems  con- 
fronting the  statesmen  of  Europe  to-day  is  the  question  of  maintaining 
the  present  enormous  military  establishment,  imposed  upon  each  coun- 
try by  existing  conditions,  at  the  highest  point  of  possible  efficiency 
with  the  lowest  charge  upon  the  tax-burdened  citizen.  The  ration  to 
be  issued  is  a. serious  question;  the  necessity  from  a  hygienic  point  of 
view  of  supplying  a  diet  concentrated,  highly  nutritious,  and  at  the 
same  time  varied  enough  to  meet  the  requirements  of  modern  dietary 
demands,  is  in  direct  conflict  with  the  necessity  for  an  economical 
administration  of  the  commissary  department.  Maize  makes  a  concen- 
trated food  stuff,  palatable  and  nourishing  when  properly  prepared,  and 
is  especially  valuable  for  use  where  muscle  and  hard  labor  are  required. 
This  is  pointedly  shown  by  the  fact  that  in  the  United  States  it  is  the 
principal  breadstuff  of  the  colored  workers  of  the  South,  where  long 
hours  of  arduous  labor  in  the  cotton  fields  under  conditions  severely 
testing  the  endurance  of  workers  are  required. 

Its  value  as  part  of  the  soldier's  food  is  appreciated  in  this  country, 
where  the  rations  established  by  the  military  authorities  include  for 
bread  "  18  ounces  of  soft  bread  or  flour,  or  16  ounces  of  hard  bread,  or  1 
pound  and  4  ounces  of  corn  meal."  The  value  of  corn  meal  as  a  con- 
stituent of  the  army  ration  was  demonstrated  practically  during  the 
war  of  the  rebellion.  The  larger  portion  of  the  bread  used  by  the 
Southern  armies  was  made  from  corn,  while  at  the  same  time  it  furnished 
a  large  part  of  the  food  supply  of  the  Federal  forces.  Its  value  here 
received  the  most  crucial  test  which  could  possibly  be  applied,  and  the 
wonderful  strength  and  endurance  shown  by  combatants  on  both  sides 
is  sufficient  evidence  of  its  value.  It  is  apparent  that  its  adoption  as 
part  of  the  army  ration  in  European  countries  would  be  highly  desir- 
able, looking  at  the  question  from  all  points  of  view.  The  advantage 
to  the  governments  would  be  in  the  fact  that  it  would  give  as  a  part  of 
the  ration  a  grain  cheaper  than  any  other  in  first  money  cost,  and  a  supply 
certain  and  abundant,  not  subject  to  such  fluctuations  in  production  as 
wheat  or  rye,  being  better  adapted  than  most  other  crops  to  withstand 
our  climatic  disabilities,  drought  especially.  The  joint  benefit  to  the  gov- 
ernment and  to  the  individuals  making  up  the  military  establishments 
would  be  the  addition  of  a  food  to  the  ordinary  supply  rich  in  fat  and 
muscle-producing  qualities,  full  of  the  properties  producing  animal  heat, 
and  giving  additional  powers  of  endurance.  This  means  increased  mili- 
tary efficiency  for  the  whole  body,  as  well  as  increased  comfort  for  the 
individuals  making  up  the  service. 

A  properly  directed  effort,  setting  forth  the  manifest  and  manifold 
advantages  which  would  result  from  its  adoption  as  part  of  army  ra- 
tions, might  be  eminently  successful,  and  would  be  especially  appro- 
priate at  the  present  time  in  view  of  the  fact  that  the  regular  bread- 
stuffs  now  dealt  out  are  deficient  in  supply  and  high  in  price,  two 


28 

conditions  which  it  might  be  pointed  ont  could  hardly  obtain  were 
mai/e  depended  upon.  Experiments  will  undoubtedly  be  carried  on 
in  different  countries  to  determine  whether  any  other  bread,  and,  if 
any.  what  bread,  can  be  used  this  year  to  take  the  place  of  or  supple- 
ment the  use  of  rye  in  the  rations  issued  to  the  armies  of  Eastern 
Europe.  An  opportunity  for  presenting  the  advantages  of  corn  is 
given  this  year  which  may  not  be  had  again  for  years,  and  our  Govern- 
ment has  been  prompt  in  taking  advantage  of  it.  The  .special  agent 
in  Europe  is  now  working  on  this  line  with  evidences  of  ultimate  suc- 
cess. Should  corn  be  adopted  as  part  of  the  army  food  it  would  at 
once  create  a  very  large  and  new  demand  for  our  surplus  grain,  giving 
an  impetus  to  our  agricultural  interests  which  would  be  felt  through- 
out the  length  and  breadth  of  the  land.  Tremendous,  however,  as 
is  the  military  establishment  of  Europe,  and  enormous  as  is  the  vol- 
ume of  corn  which  might  be  demanded  to  supply  it  alone,  a  still 
greater  advantage  would  accrue  to  us  were  the  various  Governments 
to  merely  recognize  and  indorse  corn  as  a  food  for  man.  It  would 
result  in  breaking  down  the  barriers  of  prejudice  which  the  ignorance 
of  centuries  has  erected  against  its  use  in  the  minds  of  the  common 
people.  Not  only  would  the  example  of  the  Government  in  its  recog- 
nition be  a  powerful  agent  in  securing  it  a  foothold,  but  the  thousands 
of  soldiers  who  while  in  service  had  acquired  a  taste  for  the  prepara- 
tions of  corn  would  become,  when  they  left  the  service  to  return  to 
civil  life,  agents  in  spreading  the  knowledge  of  its  virtues  in  all  walks 
of  life. 

CANNED   COEN. 

During  recent  years  a  very  important  industry  has  grown  up  in  this 
country  which  has  resulted  in  making  a  very  desirable  addition  to  our 
American  daily  food  supply.  The  canning  of  green  sweet  corn  has  be- 
come in  many  sections  a  very  large  interest,  and  the  product  enters 
into  the  channels  of  trade  in  all  sections  of  the  country,  is  found  in 
every  grocery  store,  and  reaches  the  family  table  of  a  large  portion  of 
our  American  homes.  The  roasting  ear.  or  green  corn  upon  the  cob, 
during  the  season  in  which  it  may  be  obtained,  is  recognized  as  not 
only  a  seasonal  luxury,  but  a  standard  article  of  food,  and  it  appears 
and  is  appreciated  both  upon  the  table  of  the  farmer  and  of  that  of  the 
urban  citizen. 

In  this  form  corn  has  been  an  article  of  diet  in  this  country  from  the 
earliest  times.  It  is  only,  however,  within  comparatively  recent  years 
that  methods  have  been  followed  in  preparing  it  for  use  outside  of  its 
regular  season  of  growth.  The  canning  industry  is  now  a  very  large 
and  flourishing  one,  and  factories  for  preserving  fruits  and  vegetables 
of  different  kinds  are  found  in  every  State  and  in  almost  every  large 
agricultural  district.  In  1890  the  pack  of  canned  corn  amounted  to 
1,588,860  cases  of  2  dozen  tin  cans  each,  and  in  1888,  the  largest  year 


29 

on  record,  to  3,491,474  cases.  The  reputation  of  this  class  of  our  in- 
dustrial product  is  attested  by  the  steady  and  rapid  increase  of  con- 
sumption in  our  domestic  markets.  Our  people  are  particular,  even 
fastidious,  as  to  their  diet,  and  the  popular  taste  for  delicacies  and  ap- 
petizing preparations  of  standard  articles  of  food  requires  an  intelligent 
study  of  methods  by  packers  that  insures  a  constant  elevation  of  the 
standard  of  quality. 

The  question  of  cheapness  is  second  to  that  of  quality  of  product, 
and  commercial  records  show  that  during  the  past  few  seasons  there 
has  been  demand  for  superior  articles  at  remunerative  prices,  and  infe- 
rior grades  have  been  a  drug  on  the  market  at  low  values.  Our 
packers  appreciate  this,  and  by  the  law  of  the  survival  of  the  fittest, 
the  struggle  to  maintain  place  in  the  market  has  constantly  tended 
toward  educating  and  elevating  the  public  taste  to  a  still  higher  stan- 
dard. The  present  should  be  an  auspicious  time  for  a  permanent  and 
valuable  enlargement  of  our  foreign  trade  in  this  branch  of  corn  prod- 
ucts. American  canned  meats  are  known  in  every  portion  of  the 
civilized  world,  and  are  exported  from  this  country  directly  to  almost 
every  nation  upon  the  globe.  "With  proper  effort,  intelligently  and 
systematically  directed,  it  should  be  possible  to  build  up  a  similar  trade 
in  our  canned  vegetables,  and  especially  in  corn,  in  the  production  of 
which  it  is  not  probable  that  we  shall  ever  meet  any  competitor  worthy 
of  the  name  in  any  foreign  market.  A  careful  investigation  of  methods 
used  by  canners  and  packers  shows  that  the  most  scientific  practices 
prevail,  that  all  the  latest  improvements  are  adopted,  and  that  there 
is  a  constant  striving  to  attain  perfection  in  method  of  packing  and 
quality  of  goods. 

The  development  of  a  large  trade  in  canned  corn  would  be  particularly 
valuable  to  this  country.  Not  only  would  there  be  an  increased  plant- 
ing of  sweet  corn  and  other  varieties  used  by  packers,  which  would 
benefit  farmers  in  the  way  of  a  direct  cash  return,  but  the  offal  result- 
ing from  the  preparation  of  the  product  would  remain  at  home.  An  ex- 
amination of  the  system  followed  at  a  number  of  large  packing  houses 
shows  that  the  offal  in  the  way  of  soft  cobs,  nubbins,  tips  of  ears,  etc., 
is  returned  to  the  farmers  growing  the  stock,  by  them  hauled  back  to 
the  farm  and  used  as  forage  for  different  classes  of  farm  animals,  and 
when  it  has  accumulated  in  excess  of  immediate  requirements  cured  for 
future  use.  In  some  districts  it  has  been  extensively  used  in  the  form 
of  ensilage. 

The  following  note,  received  from  the  manager  of  a  large  packing 
house  in  Syracuse,  N".  Y.,  is  typical  of  the  state  of  facts  which  have  been 
found  to  exist  quite  extensively  throughout  the  districts  where  corn 
canning  is  largely  carried  on. 

Farmers,  as  fast  as  they  bring  the  corn  picked  from  the  stalk  in  wagonloads  and 
unloading  same  at  our  factory,  are  quite  anxious  and  ready  to  wait  their  turn,  if 
necessary,  to  load  back  with  the  fresh  cobs  and  husks,  which  of  course  we  have  in 
large  quantities.  By  this  means  they  remove  our  offal  as  fast  as  it  accumulates. 


30 

We  understand  that  it  is  taken  to  their  pastures,  as  a  rule,  and  fed  to  milch  cows, 
as  nearly  all  the  farmers  who  raise  crops  for  us  are  dairymen.  They  have  found  by 
experience  that  there  is  no  food  that  they  can  give  their  cows  that  gives  the  same 
return  as  this  fresh  oti'al.  Foremen  in  charge  of  creameries  have  told  us  that  they 
can  always  tell  when  a  canning  factory  has  been  started  by  the  increase  in  amount 
and  quality  of  milk  received  by  them.  We  pres-ume  that  we  could  make  a  consider- 
able profit  from  this  material  were  we  to  preserve  it  in  the  form  of  ensilage  for  sale 
later  in  the  season.  It  has,  however,  become  one  of  the  conditions  of  farmers  plant- 
ing corn  for  us  that  they  should  have  their  share  of  this  offal  in  return. 

An  increase  in  this  form  of  manufacture  necessarily  carries  with  it  an 
increase  in  the  amount  and  quality  of  food  for  farm  animals,  and  returns 
directly  to  the  soil  upon  wliich  the  corn  is  grown  the  valuable  constit- 
uent elements  withdrawn  by  the  crop.  By  this  means  fertility  is  main- 
tained and  the  heritage  of  future  generations  preserved  intact. 

INDIAN   CORN   STATISTICS. 

In  connection  with  the  report  upon  the  possibility  of  extending  corn 
consumption  for  food  in  foreign  countries  a  number  of  statements  have 
been  compiled,  which  will  be  interesting  as  a  showing  of  the  progress  of 
corn  production  in  this  country,  its  geographical  distribution,  the  for- 
eign movement  from  the  earliest  period,  and  prices  under  different  con- 
ditions. In  the  statement  first  presented  there  is  a  showing  of  the  ag- 
gregate volume  of  production  as  returned  by  five  decennial  censuses, 
beginning  with  1840  and  coming  up  to  1889 ;  the  figures  for  the  census 
of  1890  have  not  yet  been  made  puplic.  As  enumerations  are  made  too 
early  in  the  season  to  include  crop  returns  for  the  census  year,  the  crop 
of  each  preceding  year  is  reported,  as  appears  in  the  table. 

In  1839  the  total  crop  amounted  to  377,531,875  bushels,  while  forty 
years  later  it  was  nearly  five  times  as  great.  In  the  first  year  the  pro- 
duction per  capita  amounted  to  22  bushels,  and  in  1879  to  35  bushels, 
showing  that  production  has  considerably  more  than  kept  pace  with  the 
increase  in  population. 

An  interesting  feature  in  this  table  is  the  showing  which  is  made  of 
the  continued  westward  movement  of  corn  production.  In  1839  the 
center  of  production  had  already  moved  to  the  west  of  the  Alleghany 
Mountains,  and  Tennessee,  with  44,980,188  bushels,  was  the  first  in 
rank,  closely  followed  by  the  sturdy,  growing  Commonwealths  of  the 
Ohio  Valley.  Ten  years  later,  in  1849,  the  center  of  production  had 
moved  north  and  westward,  and  Ohio,  with  59,000,000  bushels,  stood 
first,  closely  followed  by  Kentucky  with  58,000,000  and  Illinois  with 
57,000,000.  The  returns  for  1859  bear  evidence  of  the  magnificent  de- 
velopment of  the  agricultural  districts  of  the  central  West,  and  the  cen- 
ter of  production  had  shifted  to  the  rich  prairie  soil  of  Illinois,  where  it 
remained  for  three  decades.  In  1879  Illinois  still  kept  first  place,  but 
during  the  ten  years  which  have  since  elapsed  the  scepter  has  crossed 
the  Mississippi  Eiver,  and  Iowa  now  ranks  as  the  greatest  corn  produc- 
ing State  in  the  country.  It  must  not  be  assumed  that  in  the  move- 


31 


ment  of  corn  production  westward  the  areas  which  have  at  one 
time  held  first  rank  in  production  and  then  fallen  back  to  positions  of 
less  prominence  have  been  left  with  depleted  fertility,  or  that  corn- 
growing  lias  been  abandoned  upon  them.  Such  has  not  been  the  case. 
The  yield  per  acre  in  Kew  York  and  Pennsylvania,  and  again  in  the 
Ohio  Valley,  is  not  less  now  than  it  was  in  the  days  of  primitive  fertility, 
but,  on  the  contrary,  has  grown  larger  with  the  application  of  better 
methods  of  husbandry  and  a  more  lively  appreciation  of  the  advantages 
of  soil  and  climate  which  have  come  with  additional  experience.  The 
decline  in  relative  position  of  the  older  States  results  from  the  immense 
areas  developed  in  newer  regions.  Tennessee,  which  ranked  first  in 
1839,  now  produces  nearly  double  the  volume  of  that  year,  but  in  1889 
stood  only  ninth  in  the  rank  of  production. 

Indian  corn  production  in  the  United  States  according  to  decennial  census  returns. 


States  and  Territories. 

1839. 

1849. 

1859. 

1869. 

1879. 

Bushels. 
950  528 

Bushels. 
1  750  056 

Bushels. 
1  546  071 

Bushels. 

1  089  888 

Bushels. 
960  633 

]  162  572 

1  573  670 

1  414  628 

1  277  768 

1  350  248 

1  119  678 

2  032  396 

1  525  411 

1  699  882 

2  014  271 

1,  809,  192 

2,345  490 

2  157  063 

1  397  807 

1  797  768 

450  498 

539  201 

461  497 

311  957 

372  967 

1  500  441 

1  935  043 

2  059  835 

1  570  364 

1  880  421 

10  972  286 

17  858  400 

20  061  049 

16  462  825 

25  690  156 

4,361  975 

8,  759  704 

9  723  336 

8  745  384 

11  150  705 

14,  240,  022 

19,  835,  214 

28  196  821 

34  702  $06 

45  821  531 

2  099  359 

3  145  542 

3  892  337 

3  010  390 

3  894  264 

8  233  086 

10  749  858 

13  444  922 

11  701  817 

15  968  533 

34,  577  591 

35  254  319 

38  319  999 

17  649  304 

29  119  761 

North  Carolina  

23,  893,  763 

27,  941,  051 

30  078  564 

18  454  215 

28  019  839 

14  722  805 

16  271  454 

15  065  606 

7  614  207 

11  767  099 

20  905  122 

30  080  099 

30  776  293 

17*  646'  459 

23  202  018 

'Florida              -  - 

898  974 

1  996  809 

2  834  391 

2  225  056 

3  174  234 

20,  947,  004 

28,754  048 

33  226  282 

16  977  948 

25  451  278 

13,  161,  237 

22,  446,  552 

29  057  682 

15  637  316 

21  340  800 

5  952  912 

10  266  373 

16  853  745 

7  596  628 

9  889  689 

6  028  876 

16  500  702 

20  554  538 

29  065  172 

4,846  632 

8,  893  939 

17  823  588 

13  389  145 

24  156  417 

44,  986,  188 

52,  276  223 

52  089  926 

41  343  614 

62  764  429 

West  Virginia  

g  197  865 

14  090  609 

39  847  l?o 

58  672  591 

64  043  633 

50  091  006 

72  85''  963 

Ohio    

33,  668  144 

59  078  695 

73  54s'  190 

67  501  144 

111  877  124 

2,  277,  039 

5,  641  420 

]2  444  676 

14  086  238 

32  461  452 

28  155  887 

52  964  363 

71  588  919 

51  094  538 

115  482  300 

22,  634  211 

57  646  984 

115  174  777 

129  921  395 

325  792  481 

379  359 

1  988  979 

7  517  300 

15  033  998 

34  '30  579 

16  725 

2  941  952 

4  743  117 

14  831  741 

1  406  ''41 

8  656  799 

42  410  686 

68  935  065 

275  014  247 

17,332  524 

36  214  537 

72  892  157 

66  034  075 

202  414  413 

6  150  727 

17  025  525 

105  729  325 

1  482  080 

4  736  710 

65  450  135 

12  236 

510  708 

1  221  222 

1  993  325 

2,918 

76  122 

72  138 

126  862 

460 

9  660 

12  891 

231  903 

455  968 

32  041 

34  746 

THkota       

20  269 

133  140 

2  000  864 

Idaho        

5  750 

16  408 

320 

5  649 

365  411 

709  304 

640  823 

633  786 

Utah             

9  899 

90  482 

95  557 

163  342 

4'  712 

21  781 

39  183 

39  485 

65  230 

go'  840 

28  020 

29  750 

Total  

377,531  875 

592  071  104 

838  792  742 

760  944  549 

1  754  591  676 

Census  data  for  the  crop  of  the  year  1889  not  being  available,  a  state- 
ment made  up  from  the  estimates  of  this  office,  showing  acreage,  prod- 


32 


net,  and  farm  value  by  States  is  presented.  This  statement  is  practi- 
cally a  continuation  of  the  preceding  table,  and  rounds  off  a  showing  of 
the  progress  of  corn  production  during  the  last  half  century.  It  pre- 
sents the  largest  crop  ever  grown  in  this  country  and  the  largest  cereal 
crop  ever  grown  in  any  country,  \vith  a  volume  larger  than  the  aggre- 
gate wheat  crop  of  the  civilized  world  for  that  year. 

Indian  corn  crop  in  the  United  States,  1S89. 


States  and  Territories. 

Bushels. 

Acres. 

Value. 

1  034  000 

28  717 

$589  273 

1  311  000 

35  9'M 

734  287 

2  044  000 

58  397 

1  124  142 

1  997  000 

58  209 

]  078  147 

393  000 

12  558 

220  116 

1  766  000 

56  977 

953  795 

20  475  000 

698  800 

10  03'  672 

10  792  000 

357'  342 

5  395  864 

41  225  000 

1  383  377 

18  963  332 

3,905  000 

293  136 

1,  640  050 

15,  105,  000 

733  239 

6,  495,  031 

34  °31  000 

2  152  911 

15  061  765 

33  050  000 

2  754  127 

17  516  248 

18  310  000 

1  59°  1~>2 

9  887  264 

33,  730,  000 

3  Oil  602 

18  551  468 

Florida     

5  206.  000 

486  562 

3,019  604 

33.  944,  000 

2,  514,  370 

17,  311,  437 

29  474  000 

1  991  481 

14  736  960 

18  949  000 

1  082  8?6 

9  664  W2 

Texas  

83,  698,  000 

4,  573,  645 

29,  294,  196 

42  608  000 

2,  130  399 

18  321  431 

80,  831  000 

3,  674  140 

29,  907  500 

15,  199  000 

678.  518 

6,  079,  521 

75,  382,  000 

2,  844,  601 

25,  629,  855 

Ohio   

88,  953,  000 

3,  005,  184 

27,  575.  568 

22  737  000 

967  513 

8  412  596 

106,656  000 

3,  677,  808 

28,797  237 

259,125  000 

8,  022,  454 

62,  190,  063 

28,  415,  000 

1,  080,  414 

8,240,318 

21,  263,  000 

746,  067 

5,  740,  986 

Iowa  

349,  966,  000 

8,  859,  898 

66,  493,  534 

218,841,000 

6,  796,  318 

50,  333,  531 

240,  508,  000 

6,  813,  251 

43,  291,  397 

149,  543,  000 

4,  097,  067 

25,  422,  301 

California  

4,  464,  000 

158,  288 

2,  544.  322 

157,  000 

7,854 

102  102 

1,  092,  000 

42,  993 

633  373 

Dakota  

14,  743.  (KM) 

819,  068 

4,  865,  2i>4 

1,  126,  000 

56,  289 

675  468 

Utah 

644,  000 

35,  175 

392  659 

Total  

2,  112,  892,  000 

78,  319,  651 

597,  918,  829 

As  an  epitome  of  the  statistics  of  production,  a  table  is  presented 
showing  the  aggregate  production  by  years  from  1880  to  1890,  inclusive, 
with  the  acreage  and  value  of  the  crop,  the  value  per  unit  of  quantity, 
the  yield  per  acre,  and  value  per  acre  for  each  year,  and  for  the  period 
as  compared  with  the  average  production  of  the  preceding  decade. 

As  the  year  1890  was  a  disastrous  one  in  the  history  of  the  crop,  an 
average  in  the  period  1880  to  1889,  inclusive,  is  also  presented.  This 
table  shows  an  increase  of  nearly  50  per  cent  in  the  average  annual  pro- 
duction for  the  period  1880  to  1889  as  compared  with  the  period  1870 
to  1879.  The  increase  in  volume  has  naturally  resulted  in  a  decrease  in 
the  average  farm  price,  but  not  in  proportion.  The  very  small  decline 
in  average  price  shows  that  production  te  not  been  unduly  stimulated, 


33 


and  that  consumption  has  practically  kept  pace  with  it.  It  must  not  be 
assumed  that  because  the  average  yield  per  acre  for  the  first  decade 
was  returned  3  bushels  larger  than  that  of  the  second,  that  there  has 
been  any  permanent  impairment  of  fertility  or  that  corn  lands  have  been 
exhausted  by  continued  cropping.  The  difference  in  meteorological  con- 
ditions of  different  seasons  accounts  for  the  decline.  The  first  period 
included  a  large  number  of  years  in  which  the  most  favorable  condi- 
tions prevailed,  while  the  latter  period  includes  an  unusual  number  in 
which  drought  or  early  frosts  seriously  interfered  with  crop  results. 
That  the  possibilities  of  our  soil  are  fully  as  great  now  as  in  earlier 
years  is  demonstrated  by  the  fact  that  during  the  present  season,  1891, 
not  wholly  favorable  to  corn-growing,  the  yield  per  acre  is  less  than 
one-half  of  1  bushel  below  the  average  of  the  period  1870  to  1879. 

Indian  corn  crop  in  the  United  States,  18SO-1S90. 


Tear*?.     ' 

Total 
production. 

Total 
area  of  crop. 

Total 
value  of  crop. 

Average 
value  per 
bushel. 

Average 
yield  per 
acre. 

Average 
value  per 
acre. 

1880    

Bushels. 
1,  717,  434,  543 

Acres. 
62,  317,  842 

$679,  714,  499 

Cents. 
39.6 

Bushels. 
27.6 

$10.91 

1881 

1  194  916  000 

64  262  025 

759  482  170 

63  6 

18  6 

11  82 

1882 

1  617  025  100 

65,  659,  545 

783  867  175 

48  5 

24.6 

11  94 

1883      

1,551,066.895 

68,  301,  889 

658,  051,  485 

42.4 

22.7 

9.63 

ISM     

1,  795,  528,  000 

69,  683,  780 

640,  735,  560 

35.7 

25.8 

9.19 

1xv"> 

1  936  176  000 

73  130  150 

.    635  674  630 

32  8 

26  5 

8  69 

188(5            

1,  665,  441,  000 

75  694,  208 

610  311  000 

36  6 

22  0 

8.06 

1887  

1,  456,  161,  000 

72,  392,  720 

646,  106,  770 

44.4 

20.1 

8.93 

1888 

1  987  790  000 

75  672  763 

677  561  580 

34  1 

26  3 

8  95 

1SS1I                         

2  112  892  000 

78  319  651 

597  918  829 

28  3 

27  0 

7.63 

1890  

1,  489,  970  000 

71,  970,  763 

754,  433,  451 

50.6 

20.7 

10.48 

Total            

18  524  400  538 

777  405  336 

7  443,  857  149 

Average,  11  years,  1880  to 
1890 

1  684  036  413 

70  673  212 

676  714,286 

40.2 

23.8 

9.58 

Average,  10  years,  1880  to 
1889      .. 

1  703  443  054 

70  543  457 

668  942  370 

39  3 

24.1 

9.48 

Average,  10  years,  1870  to 
1879  

1,  184,  486,  954 

43,  741,  331 

504,  571,  048 

42.6 

27.1 

11.54 

In  connection  with  the  sho wing  of  aggregate  production  and  dis- 
tribution of  the  crop  by  States,  which  is  given  in  the  preceding  tables, 
a  showing  of  the  distribution  of  the  crop  in  comparison  with  the  total 
surface  area  of  the  States  is  presented.  This  shows  that  there  are  ten 
States  which  devote  more  than  10  per  cent  of  their  total  surface  area, 
including  land  both  in  and  out  of  farms,  to  the  cultivation  of  this  one 
crop.  The  great  agricultural  State  of  Iowa  gives  up  25  per  cent,  while 
in  Illinois  the  proportion  is  but  little  less.  The  smallest  proportion  is 
naturally  in  the  Eocky  Mountain  region,  where  the  elevation  is  too 
great  for  a  full  development  of  the  cereal,  and  to  NCAV  England,  where 
with  small  farms  and  intensive  culture  other  crops  are  found  more 
profitable. 

In  the  following  statement  the  country  is  divided  into  five  groups 
according  to  the  proportion  of  total  surface  area  given  up  to  corn  in 
1889,  the  first  group  including  all  having  more  than  100  acres  and  the 
11625 -3 


34 

last  group  having  less  than  20.  The  general  average  for  the  whole 
country  is  42.2  acres  for  each  1,000  acres  of  land  surface,  exclusive  of 
Alaska: 


loo  AND  OVER. 

Delaware 178 

Maryland 116 

Tennessee 138 

Kentucky Ill 

Ohio  ....' 115 

Indiana 160 

Illinois -'^ 

Iowa 250 

Missouri 155 

Kansas 130 

71  TO  100. 

New  Jersey —  75 

Virginia 81 

North  Carolina 89 

South  Carolina 83 

Georgia 80 

Alabama 76 

Nebraska 81 

41  TO  70. 

Pennsylvania 48 

Mississippi 67 

Arkansas 63 


"West  Virginia 43 

21  TO  40. 

New  York 23 

Louisiana 37 

Texas 27 

Michigan 26 

Wisconsin 31 

20  AND  UNDER. 

Maine 2 

New  Hampshire C 

Vermont 10 

Massachusetts 11 

Rhode  Island 18 

Connecticut 18 

Florida 14 

Minnesota 15 

California 2 

Oregon 1 — 

Colorado 1— 

Dakota 9 

Utah 1— 

New  Mexico 1 — 

General  average ..  42.2 


We  have  had  a  limited  foreign  trade  in  corn  and  its  products  from 
very  early  times,  but  the  demand  for  consumption  in  foreign  countries 
has  never  been  great  enough  to  make  it  a  prominent  feature  in  our 
agricultural  exports.  As  far  back  as  1821,  we  exported  a  little  more 
than  1,000,000  bushels,  and  it  was  more  than  twenty  years  from  that 
date  before  the  amount  had  doubled.  The  quantity  sent  abroad  yearly 
in  the  earlier  history  of  the  trade  was  remarkably  uniform. 

In  the  table  presented  there  is  a  showing  of  the  exports  of  corn  and 
meal,  and  the  total  in  the  form  of  corn  by  five  year  periods  from  1821 
to  1880,  and  yearly  from  that  time  until  the  present,  the  figures  being 
for  the  fiscal  years  ending  on  June  30  of  the  years  named  since  1842; 
prior  to  that  date  the  fiscal  year  ended  on  September  30. 

In  1890,  following  the  magnificent  crop  of  1889,  and  as  a  result  of 
the  low-price  which  prevailed  throughout  this  country,  the  hundred 
million  bushel  mark  was  reached  for  the  first  time.  The  fact  that  our 
foreign  importation  depends  upon  the  price  at  home  is  well  illustrated 
by  the  record  of  the  year  following,  when,  with  a  short  crop  and  high 
prices,  we  had  less  than  one-third  as  much. 


35 


Exports  of  Indian  corn  and  meal  from  the  United  States. 


Tears. 

Corn. 

Corn  meal. 

Total  corn. 

Quantity. 

Value. 

Quantity. 

Value. 

Quantity. 

Value. 

Jluxhelg. 
702,  870 
706,  142 
513,  789 
236,  995 
694,  822 
8,764,431 
4,  781,  039 
5,  519,  579 
10,  522,  406 
9,  598,  655 
29,  230,  583 
78,  056,  356 
91,908,175 
43,  184,  915 
40,  586,  825 
45,  247,  490 
51,  834,  416 
63,  655,  433 
40,  307,  252 
24,  278,  417 
69,  592,  929 
101,  973,  717 
30,  768,  213 

Dollars. 
374,  944 
403,  985 
360,  942 
174,  621 
351,  120 
6,  255,  584 
3,  542,  540 
3,  957,  836 
6,  980,  673 
9,  428,  763 
20,  892,  989 
43,  374,  050 
50,  702,  669 
28,  845,  830 
27,  756,  082 
27,  648,  044 
28,  003,  863 
31,  730,  922 
19,  347,  361 
13,  355,  950 
32,  982,  277 
42,658,015 
17,  652,  687 

Barrels. 
152,  281 
156,  682 
163,  477 
168,  786 
226,  550 
498,  740 
224,  291 
258,  268 
235,  321 
271,  005 
320,  811 
396,  535 
434,  993 
288,  942 
267,  207 
252,  779 
260,  510 
293,  546 
265,  333 
270,613 
312,  186 
361,  248 
318,  329 

Dollars. 
435,  424 
480,  874 
546,  215 
694,  243 
607,  404 
1,  796,  850 
829,  464 
983,  503 
1,  064,  654 
1,  469,  090 
1,  292,  318 
1,  237,  192 
1,  270,  200 
994,  201 
980,  798 
818,  739 
816,  459 
858,  370 
705,  343 
765,  036 
870,  485 
896,  879 
946,  977 

Bushels. 
1,  311,  995 
1,  332,  868 
1,  167,  696 
912,  139 
1,  601,  021 
10,  759,  391 
5,  678,  204 
6,  552,  653 
11,463,691 
10,  682,  674 
30,  513,  825 
79,  642,  495 
93,  648,  147 
44,  340,  683 
41,  655,  653 
46,  258,  606 
52,  876,  456 
64,  829,  617 
41,  368,  584 
25,  360,  869 
70,  841,  673 
103,  418,  709 
32,  041,  529 

Dollars. 
810,  368 
884,  859 
907,  157 
868,564 
958,  524 
8,  052,  434 
4,  372,  004 
4,  941,  339 
8,  045,  327 
10,  897,  853 
22,  185,  307 
44,  611,  242 
51,  972,  869 
29,  840,  031 
28,  736,  880 
28,  466,  783 
28,  820,  322 
32,  589,  292 
20,  052,  704 
14,  120,  986 
33,  852,  762 
43,  554,  894 
18,  599,  664 

is-'ii  :;o               

1831  35  

1836-40  

1841-45                        ..   . 

1846  50 

1851  55  

1856-60  

1861  65 

1866-70     .            

1871  75  

1876-80  

1881  

1882     . 

1883  

1884  

1885  

1886     

1887  

1888  
1889  

1890      .     . 

1891  

The  insignificance  of  the  consumption  of  our  corn  abroad  as  compared 
with  the  consumption  at  home  has  already  been  shown,  but  in  the  fol- 
lowing table  the  estimated  annual  production  each  year  from  1870  to 
1890,  with  the  amount  which  has  been  shipped  abroad  from  each  crop, 
is  presented,  in  order  that  a  showing  of  the  proportion  of  each  crop 
sent  abroad  may  be  made.  From  this  it  appears  that  less  than  4  per 
cent  of  the  average  crop  of  the  last  twenty-one  years  has  been  shipped, 
and  that  the  largest  proportion  sold  abroad  was  only  6.5  per  cent  in 
1877,  ranging  from  that  to  1  per  cent  in  1870. 

It  should  be  stated,  perhaps,  that  in  this  table  the  figures  referring 
to  production  relate  to  calendar  years,  while  those  referring  to  exports 
relate  to  fiscal  years,  beginning  with  July  1  of  the  year  which  is  men- 
tioned. The  object  of  this  arrangement  is  to  show  as  accurately  as 
possible  what  proportion  of  a  given  crop  is  exported. 

Production  and  export  of  corn. 


Tears. 

Production. 

Exports. 

Exporta- 
tion. 

Tears. 

Production. 

Exports. 

Exporta- 
tion. 

1870     

Bushels. 
1  0!)4  255,  000 

Bushels. 
10,  673,  553 

Per  cent. 
1.0 

1882 

'Bushels. 
1  617  025  100 

Bushels. 
41  655  653 

Per  cent. 
2  6 

1871    

991.  898,  000 

35,  727,  010 

1883  

1  551  OG(i  895 

46*  258*  C06 

3  0 

1872 

1  092  719  000 

40,  154  374 

3.7 

1884 

1  795  5°8  000 

52  876  456 

2  9 

1S73  

932  274,  000 

35,  985  834 

3.7 

1885  

1  936  176  000 

64  829  617 

3  3 

1874 

850  148  500 

30  025  036 

3  5 

1886  . 

1  665  441  000 

41  368  584 

2  5 

1875     

l  ::•'!  069  ooo 

50  910  532 

3.9 

1887...   . 

1,456  161  000 

25  360  8(i9 

1  7 

1876  

1  'J*::  827  500 

72  65°  611 

5.7 

1888  

1.987,790,000 

70,841  673 

3  6 

1877     

1  34''  558  000 

87  199  110 

6  5 

1889     .  . 

2  112  892  000 

103  418  709 

4  9 

1878 

1  iiss  ''18  7oO 

87  884  KO'^1 

6  3 

1890 

1  489  970  000 

32  041  5^9 

2  2 

1879 

1  7r>4  501  676 

99  57'1  3°9 

5  7 

1880 

]   717   I'd   ",)'; 

93  648  147 

5  5 

1881 

1,  194  OKI  000 

44  340  083 

3  7 

1  455  998  094 

55  591  372 

3  8 

In  t'he  showing  of  average  prices  of  corn  for  a  long  series  of  years 
Chicago  has  been  selected  as  being  near  the  center  of  the  great  .sur- 
plus region.  Three  dates  in  each  year  since  1871  have  been  selected 
upon  which  to  present  the  cash  price  of  No.  2  corn,  the  standard  com- 
mercial grade  j  and  in  connection  with  this  a  showing  of  the  farm  price 
in  December  of  each  year,  as  returned  to  the  Statistician  of  the  Depart- 
ment of  Agriculture  by  its  corps  of  county  correspondents,  is  given. 
The  export  price  for  each  fiscal  year  during  the  same  period  is  also 
shown.  In  making  comparisons  of  these  various  prices  it  must  be  re- 
membered that  Chicago,  being  in  the  surplus  district  where  the  trans- 
portation charges  from  the  field  to  the  warehouse  are  small,  shows  at 
times  a  lower  commercial  price  than  the  average  farm  price  for  the 
country.  The  farm  price  represents  the  value  in  the  hands  of  growers, 
either  upon  the  farm  where  grown  or  at  local  purchasing  points,  while 
the  export  price  is  the  value  at  the  seaboard  after  the  product  has 
borne  the  cost  of  transportation,  commissions  of  middlemen,  and  general 
handlers. 

[Cents  i:er  bushel.] 


Tears. 

Chicago  prices  on  the  first  Saturday 
of  the  month. 

Farm 
price, 
Decm- 
ber. 

Export 

price,  fis- 
cal yrar 
follow- 
ing. 

January. 

May. 

September. 

1871         

43J-44J 
40|-414 
30|-31 
49  -54J 
64|-69 
43  -45 
43f-44f 
42S-43J 

29J-30 
39J-40| 
36  -37fc 
60*-63i 
49|-5  .«J 
54J-57J 
34J-34J 
36J-36i 
3GJ-37J 
48|-494 
33J-3:ii 
294-29* 
49* 

54  -56 
42J  u- 
37  -:;s§ 
64  -6oJ 
71  -76| 
44|-46 
50£-57J 
39J-41J 
33J-34J 
36  -30| 
42J-43J 
7:if-75| 
54  -56 
52J-56 
48|-49 
36J-37 
37J-38J 
57g-57f 
34 
33J-34 
68  -68J 

43|-46 
35J-39J 
39J-42J 
66i-7HJ 
61  -63J 
41J-43| 
41J-4:i| 
35J-37J 
32i-33J 
38J-40J 
60J-63J 
72J-76* 
49  -51  J 
51J-58J 
43  -44 
40  -42 
40J-41J 
44A-14J 
33J-33i 
454-45J 
65  -67J 

48.2 
39.8 
48,0 
64.7 
42.0 
37.0 
35.8 
31.8 
37.5 
39.6 
63.6 
48.5 
42.4 
35.7 
32.8 
36.6 
44.4 
34.1 
28.3 
50.6 

69.6 
61.7 
71.9 
84.7 
67.2 
58.7 
56.2 
47.1 
54.3 
55.0 
67.0 
68.0 
61.0 
54.0 
50.0 
48.0 
55.0 
47.0 
49.0 
57.4 

1872       

1873  

1874  

1875  

1876  

1877  

1878  

1879                    

1880             .            

1881         

1882  

1883  

1884  

1885  

1886  

1887  

1888  

1889  

1890  

1891         

UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  AT  LOS  ANGELES 
THE  UNIVERSITY  LIBRARY 

This  book  is  DUE  on  the  last  date  stamped  below 

I 


\it  2  ^ 


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MAYS     t 


1  5  f 9fiT 


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17 


Form  L-9-15wi-2,'36 


" 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CAUFORNIA 

AT 

LOS  ANGELES 
LIBRARY 


Agric.  - 
Report  on  the 

J     "" 

use  of  maize 


A  OOP  503  330  3 


TX 


